Lizzie McGuire: Senior Year
by banan03
Summary: Lizzie and her friends are seniors in high school. Lizzie and Kate, who are both cheerleaders, are friends again. Miranda is being ostracized by the group. Gordo and Lizzie are best friends and flirt with each other.
1. Chapter 1

Kate Sanders took a pot of black face makeup from her cheerleading bag and carefully smeared two thick black lines underneath Lizzie McGuire's eyes. "Perfect!" she exclaimed. Lizzie and Kate admired their reflections in the full length mirror of the girls bathroom. Both girls had on their black pleated Hillridge cheerleading skirts, camouflage wife-beaters with black sports bras, black streaks under their eyes, and camo headbands. Each girl's long blonde hair was piled into two messy buns on either side of her head.

"We look like such badasses," Kate said as she winked at herself in the mirror. Lizzie giggled. "Well, we can't help it if we're beautiful," she exclaimed. She blew her reflection a kiss and turned to Kate. They put their hands together and started the chant that they had picked up from their favorite movie, Sugar and Spice. "Cheerleaders kick!" they shouted, smacking their asses.

Miranda Sanchez sat in her eighth period class staring at the clock. "Only three minutes," she scrawled on her notebook, shoving it over to David Gordon.

"Miranda, David," Mr. Hansen said sternly. "Watch the video." Miranda scowled and looked at the tv at the front of the room. A woman was screaming in agony as she gave birth while the camera got a very graphic view. She glanced over at Gordo, who looked like he might vomit. "Ahh, the miracle of life," Mr. Hansen was saying. Suddenly, the bell rang and everyone jumped up from their seats. Miranda and Gordo packed up their books excitedly.

"Are you ready to go watch Lizzie cheer at her very first pep rally?" Miranda asked sarcastically. "I still can't believe Lizzie's a cheerleader," Gordo replied. Miranda and Gordo had both been surprised when Lizzie had told them that she was going to try out. She'd wanted to be a cheerleader since middle school. Hillridge only allowed seniors to be on the squad, so for six years Lizzie had been taking gymnastics and preparing. But they didn't think she'd actually have the confidence to try out. They were even more surprised when Lizzie came back from cheerleading camp with a new best friend – Kate Sanders. Miranda had to admit, she was jealous. "I don't know why Lizzie is so obsessed with Kate," Miranda said as they walked towards the gym. "I mean, sure Kate's popular and everything, but she treated Lizzie like shit, and now all of a sudden they act like they never hated each other." Gordo shrugged his shoulders.

"Who knows? Maybe Kate's changed," he suggested. They walked into the gym and took their seats. The band was playing the school theme song, Anchors Away, as the cheerleaders clapped their hands enthusiastically. Suddenly the lights went out and a spotlight danced around the room as "Everybody Dance Now," boomed out of the speakers. The cheerleaders started doing sharp, robot-style moves. Miranda snickered. "This is so fucking cheesy," she said to Gordo. Gordo ignored her. He was sick of Miranda's negative comments about Lizzie all the time.As the beat got more lively, the dance became more complicated, and eventually the entire student body was cheering them on. Gordo watched Lizzie as she slapped her thighs and dipped her bottom to the ground, swaying her hips in beat to the music. "Wow," he found himself saying aloud. Lizzie saw him watching her and winked. Gordo's eyes widened. Suddenly, Miranda slapped him hard on the arm. "Stop having cheer sex with her," she hissed. "God, Lizzie has become such a slut." Gordo turned around, annoyed and angry.

"Miranda, just stop with the comments," he demanded. The music ended and Kate walked up to the microphone at the front of the gym.

"Hey Patriots!" she exclaimed. "We have got a great pep rally for you today! We're going to start off with a little game! We'll pick one student from every grade level to compete. You'll run from one end of the gym to the other, but make sure you dodge the grenades!" Three of the cheerleaders stood along the back wall of the gym holding camo water balloons. Lizzie stepped up to the microphone.

"Okay! For the freshmen, we have Christine Wallace! For the sophomores, Matt McGuire! Juniors, Ben Craft! And Seniors, Miranda Sanchez!" Miranda froze, furious at Lizzie for calling her name. She tried to hide behind Gordo. All three of the other contestants were eagerly making their way to the gym floor. "Miranda? Where are you Miranda Sanchez!" Lizzie shouted. "There she is!" she pointed at Miranda, who reluctantly stood up. "Come on down!" Lizzie encouraged her. The contestants lined up and Kate prepared her stopwatch.

"Ready, set, go!" she screamed. The contestants took off. Claire Miller and two other cheerleaders were throwing water balloons. Suddenly Miranda felt herself being pummeled by balloons. She was drenched. The floor was slick. Miranda tried to stop herself, but it was too late. She slipped on the floor and skidded across the polished wood on her ass. The entire student body laughed hysterically. Miranda looked around and realized that Matt, Ben, and Christine had finished the race and were all dry. She was the only one who had been targeted with the grenades. "Alright! Go, Ben! My man!" Miranda looked into the stands to see Ethan Craft pumping his fists in the air and cheering for his little brother, who had apparently won. Ethan was laughing. Mortified and infuriated, Miranda leapt to her feet and ran out of the gym.

After the pep rally, Lizzie went outside to find Miranda. "Miranda?" she called. She wandered over to the cheerleader practice field where she saw Gordo and Miranda. "Miranda!" Gordo grabbed her arm gently.

"I wouldn't—" he tried to warn her. But Miranda hurtled towards Lizzie angrily.

"How could you humiliate me like that?" Miranda screamed. Lizzie narrowed her green eyes. "Excuse me? I had nothing to do with it!" Lizzie argued. Miranda's nostrils were flaring like they always did when she became enraged.

"Right, nothing to do with it. You're only the one who made me participate in the first place! Cut the crap, Lizzie. You wanted this to happen!" She shrieked. Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"Miranda, I was only trying to include you. It's not my fault that you suck at dodgeball," she shot back.

"Fuck you, Lizzie!" Miranda yelled as she raised her hand to slap Lizzie.

"Woah!" Gordo exclaimed, grabbing Miranda and pulling her away from Lizzie. "Miranda, just go home and get cleaned up. I'm sure you'll laugh about this by tomorrow," he told her. Miranda was fuming. She broke free from him and whipped her head around towards Lizzie.

"God, Lizzie! You've changed so much! I don't know why I was ever friends with you!" She shouted, tearing off the friendship bracelet that she'd been wearing since 6th grade. "You think you're so cool now that you're a cheerleader. Cheerleaders suck!" Kate, who had been watching with interest, suddenly shot forwards.

"What did you say?" Kate demanded. Miranda smirked.

"You heard me, sweater monkey. Cheerleaders SUCK." Kate's eyes widened as she threw down her pom poms.

"You better back the fuck off," Kate warned her. "Because this practice field is cheerleader-only territory from 3-5 pm." Miranda laughed at her as she sat her wide ass down on one of the bleachers.

"You can't make me leave," she sneered. Kate turned around.

"What was I thinking? Of course you won't leave. You wouldn't miss your chance to watch cheerleader practice." Kate packed up her poms. "Girls, practice is cancelled. We're not going to practice out here while this dyke watches us." Miranda couldn't believe the words that had just come out of Kate's mouth. She got up and walked over to her 1992 Astrovan. As she got in the car, Lizzie felt tears come to her eyes. She couldn't believe that she'd just had such a huge fight with her best friend.


	2. Chapter 2

"God, Miranda's insane," Kate said later that night as she flipped through Lizzie's new issue of Cosmopolitan. "She seriously needs to get help. Lizzie, you need to get over this. Don't feel bad for her. You always get screwed over because you're so worried about being nice to everyone." Kate picked up a framed picture on Lizzie's desk of the two of them at cheer camp. "This is cute," she said. "Make me a copy of it." Lizzie nodded absentmindedly, thinking about Miranda. _When did she become so freaking weird?_ Lizzie wondered. "Honestly, Lizzie, you need to ditch her. If you keep being nice to her, people are going to think you're like… her girlfriend or something. Being friends with her will destroy your reputation," Kate said. Lizzie thought about it for a minute. Miranda or Kate and the cheerleaders?

"You're so right. That's it. I'm through with Miranda," she asserted. "I tried to do a nice thing for her by letting her be in that race, and she goes apeshit on me." Kate nodded approvingly. "And she's never been that good of a friend to me," Lizzie confided. "Like, she's always so bossy and she's like weirdly jealous of me."

"Oh, I know," Kate responded. "You know she's the reason I had to stop hanging out with y'all right?" Lizzie looked at her questioningly. "It was because my mom wouldn't let me play with Miranda anymore. Because Miranda was always so bossy and her family was so poor that they never paid their own way for anything. We would like, have to pay for Miranda all the time because they'd send her over for dinner and for the weekend when they got low on cash." Lizzie snorted.

"That's so pathetic," she said, feeling a twinge of guilt as the words came out of her mouth. "She's just so weird all of a sudden. I don't want to be associated with her. I shouldn't have to be," Lizzie found herself saying. Kate smiled. She pointed to the Mickey Mouse phone on Lizzie's desk that had been there since Lizzie was 10 years old and had demanded her own private phone line.

"You should call her and tell her how you feel," Kate suggested. Lizzie bit her bottom lip and chewed on it nervously.

"Do you really think so?" she asked. Kate nodded supportively and handed Lizzie the phone. Suddenly they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Jo McGuire stepped into the room looking concerned.

"Hi girls," she said brightly. "Sorry to interrupt, but I have something I need to talk to you about." Lizzie and Kate glanced at each other, wondering if it was what they thought it was. "Matt told me what happened at the pep rally today," Jo continued. "He saw the whole confrontation outside. Lizzie, I know that you think Miranda is your friend, but honestly, I can't allow you to be bullied by her anymore. I've spoken to Kate's mom and I've done some thinking. You need to just stop hanging out with Miranda." Lizzie looked relieved.

"I know, Mom. I was just telling Kate that I'm through with Miranda's BS," she told Jo. Jo was clearly impressed.

"Well, I'm glad you made the right choice, honey. I'm so proud of you." Kate and Lizzie watched Jo leave the room, and then Kate thrust the phone into Lizzie's hand again.

"Do it!" Kate said, clearly excited. She loved drama. Lizzie shook her head.

"No," she said. "I don't want to call her. She might think I'm hitting on her or something!" Lizzie secretly wondered why Kate seemed to think that Miranda was a dyke. She knew that it wasn't true. Miranda had been in love with Ethan Craft since elementary school. But if it would help her stay friends with Kate and ensure that she didn't have to call Miranda, Lizzie decided to pretend that she also thought Miranda was gay.

"So, how will she know that you hate her?" Kate asked, puzzled.

"Well, we'll all just ignore her at school. Eventually, she'll get the picture," Lizzie said. "Hey Kate?" she asked. Kate looked up at her.

"Hmm?"

"Um, why do you think that Miranda is a dyke?" Lizzie asked. Kate laughed.

"Oh, I know she's not really one. I just call her that because, I mean, look at her! I know it pisses her off. But everyone knows she's like obsessed with Ethan." Lizzie laughed.

"Like THAT'S going to happen," she joked. The two girls sat in Lizzie's room for the rest of the night making fun of Miranda.


	3. Chapter 3

On Saturday night, Lizzie, Gordo, and Kate sat crammed together on the loveseat in Lizzie's room getting ready to watch Saturday Night Live. Gordo reached into the big bowl of popcorn that was sitting on Lizzie's lap. "So, is Miranda coming?" he asked hesitantly. He hadn't talked to Lizzie about the fight yet, and he wasn't sure if he should have mentioned it. Lizzie shook her head.

"No. I didn't invite her," she said casually. Gordo was secretly pleased. He honestly didn't like Miranda as much as he had to pretend he did when she was Lizzie's best friend. And lately, he hadn't even bothered to pretend much. Lizzie looked at her watch. "7 minutes until showtime!" she announced, grinning excitedly. Kate reached into Lizzie's pink Coach purse.

"I think your phone's ringing," she said, pulling Lizzie's cell phone out of the purse. It was flashing different colors and playing a Mexican restaurant song. Lizzie groaned.

"It's Miranda," she said. "I'm not answering it. I can't believe she's still calling me. She left like 4 messages trying to apologize and I never called her back. Doesn't she get it!" As soon as Lizzie's phone stopped ringing, Gordo's phone started. Lizzie and Kate looked at it in disbelief.

"Don't answer it!" Lizzie shouted as Gordo reached for the phone. Kate grabbed both cell phones and quickly turned them off.

"Does she honestly think that she can come over here after the way she treated us yesterday!" Kate asked incredulously.

"Dyke," Lizzie spat out. She and Kate laughed and high fived each other. Gordo was lost. _Since when is Miranda a dyke?_ Kate laughed as she saw the confusion register on Gordo's face.

"It's an inside joke," she said. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. Everyone froze, horrified. "There's no way," Kate said. Lizzie jumped up and locked her door as they stood there in silence.

"It doesn't matter. My mom won't let her in anyway," Lizzie assured them. But sure enough, they heard footsteps coming towards Lizzie's room.

"Lizzie?" Miranda's familiar voice called.

"Don't. Move." Lizzie mouthed to Gordo and Kate.

"I'm sorry Miranda, but Lizzie isn't here right now," Jo's voice broke the silence. A few minutes later, Lizzie heard the front door slam and Jo called Matt into the hall. "From now on, don't let her into this house," Jo instructed him. She tapped on Lizzie's door. "All clear!" she announced as Kate, Gordo, and Lizzie let out sighs of relief.

"Wow. She's like stalking you, Lizzie," Kate said as they settled back into the loveseat. Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry," she said. "That'll be the last time she sets foot in this house." Lizzie let her head rest on Gordo's shoulder and smiled up at him. Gordo put his arm around her protectively.

"You two should totally be a couple," Kate observed. "You're sickening!" Gordo and Lizzie laughed, both secretly wishing they _were_ a couple.


	4. Chapter 4

"Lizzie! Over here!" Lizzie McGuire looked over at her mom, Jo, who was sitting in the bleachers of the gym videotaping the "Woodstock Walton" pep rally and waving a black and red pom pom enthusiastically. Five years ago, Lizzie would have been humiliated, but now, she was actually kind of glad that her mom cared enough to come to every pep rally and game. Lizzie waved at the camera and flashed her biggest smile.

"Let's go, Hillridge!" she cheered, winking at the camera. Kate jumped into the frame next to Lizzie, her long blonde hair flying out behind her.

"GO HILLRIDGE!" she screamed, playing up the crazy school spirited cheerleader image and laughing. She thrust one her index finger towards the camera. "We're number one!" Kate and Lizzie yelled together. Jo clicked off her camera set it in the empty seat next to her.

"You know, girls, I've been thinking about what I said to you last week about Miranda. I think I overreacted," she whispered, not wanting the other parents to hear her. Not like Miranda's parents actually participated in school activities anyway. "I was just upset about the way that she had treated you," Jo continued. "But regardless of how I feel about Miranda, she's been a good friend of yours for a very long time, and I don't think that you should just cut her off." Lizzie glanced at the student section of the bleachers, where Miranda was sitting, alone, glaring at the cheerleaders.

"I don't know, Mom," Lizzie said. "I'm sure I'll talk to her again, eventually. I just need some time," she told Jo. Jo smiled encouragingly at her daughter and picked up her video camera.

"Okay. Now let's see my two favorite Patriot cheerleaders go out there and get this crowd pumped up!" Jo exclaimed, turning on her camera. The band started to play the school song and Lizzie and Kate hurried back to the center of the gym to begin their routine, blowing kisses to the camera. As Lizzie concentrated on her routine, her eyes scanned the crowd and settled on Gordo. He looked so cute with a tie-dyed headband tied carelessly around his mane of wild curls. He was wearing a black T-shirt that said "Make Love, Not War" and faded, torn jeans with converse sneakers. Lizzie grinned seductively. _Why haven't I ever realized how adorable Gordo is?_ She wondered.

That afternoon at cheerleading practice, Kate took a big roll of butcher paper and several cans of paint and brushes out of the trunk of her brand new Escalade. "As I'm sure you all know, Homecoming is in three weeks," she declared. "Time to start making posters!" Lizzie felt a surge of excitement. She loved Homecoming. As Kate handed her a brush, Lizzie started to daydream about the homecoming dance. She would waltz into the gym in a super cute dress and everyone would stop what they were doing and watch her in amazement as her date escorted her—her date… Lizzie started to weigh possible options in her head. There was Danny Kessler, whose family had moved back to Hillridge from San Francisco the previous summer. He was cute, but definitely not as drop dead gorgeous as Lizzie remembered him from middle school. Ethan Craft… hmm. Ethan was a definite possibility. Gordo… Kate scooted over so that she was next to Lizzie.

"So, who do you want to go with?" Kate asked, like she had read Lizzie's mind. Lizzie dipped her brush into the can of red paint sitting next to her.

"Actually, as crazy as it sounds, I'm kind of hoping that Gordo will ask me," she answered. "I mean, he's my best friend. We'd have a blast together. And, he's not exactly bad looking," she ventured.

"Oh, my God!" Kate squealed. "You like him, don't you?"

"I just think he'd be a really fun date," Lizzie responded casually. "So, what about you?" Kate smiled dreamily.

"I'm going with Danny Kessler," she stated confidently. She tossed her blonde curls out of her face and tied them into a ponytail.

"Oh, I didn't know Danny had asked you!" Lizzie exclaimed. "That'll be fun!" Kate shook her head.

"No, dumbass, he hasn't actually asked me yet," she corrected Lizzie. "But he will," she added quickly. Lizzie nodded.

"Of course he will!" she said. Kate always went to the dances with her first choice. She would probably be homecoming queen, too. Lizzie looked over at the parking lot and gasped. Gordo was walking towards the practice field. Lizzie got up and brushed off her gray soffe shorts.

"Gordo!" she called. "What are you doing here?" Gordo jumped in the air with his fingers waving back and forth. "Spirit Fingers, Hillridge, Spirit Fingers!" he said in a mock high pitched voice. "Haven't you heard, Lizzie? I've always wanted to participate in cheerleader practice," he joked. Lizzie laughed.

"Right," she said. "David Gordon, Head Cheerleader. I can see it." Gordo held up a manila envelope with the Pepperdine University logo on the upper left-hand corner.

"Okay, McGuire. Do you want to know my real reason for coming? Pepperdine acceptance letters are here," he said. "I was about to open it, but then I figured that if mine was here, yours is probably here too. So, I decided to come pick you up from practice and we can open them together." Lizzie got goosebumps on her arm. She had wanted to go to Pepperdine since 9th grade, when she, Gordo, and Miranda had visited Lizzie's cousin there. It was her absolute first choice, and now she was about to find out whether or not she had actually gotten in. Lizzie looked at her watch. Practice was over in ten minutes, and she did need a ride home since Matt was asking Melina to homecoming today after school, and he was using Lizzie's car to take her out.

"Okay," Lizzie agreed. As she looked up at Gordo, she was caught off guard by his crooked smile. "Your teeth are so white," she murmured. Gordo looked confused.

"What?" he asked. Lizzie blushed and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Nothing! Let's go!" she said quickly. _Oh, my God. I can't believe I said that out loud! Your teeth are so white? _She scolded herself silently. She tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach, but she couldn't help wondering if they were caused by Gordo or her nervousness about Pepperdine.


	5. Chapter 5

Lizzie and Gordo sat on Lizzie's bed with their Pepperdine letters. Lizzie clutched the manila envelope tightly, listening to the sound of her own heart beating.

"Okay. We'll open them on three," she said shakily. 1..2..3!" On the count of three, Lizzie and Gordo tore open their letters. Gordo's face broke into a wide smile as he read the first sentence. _Dear Mister_ _David Gordon,_

_After careful consideration, we are pleased to accept you to Pepperdine University. _

He looked over at Lizzie, who was holding her letter facedown.

"Well," he prompted. "What does it say?" Lizzie looked up at him.

"Um, I still haven't looked at it," she admitted. "I'm too scared. What if I don't get in?" Gordo took the letter out of her hand.

"Lizzie, don't worry about it. They would have to be idiots not to accept you," he said. "Do you want me to read it for you?" Lizzie nodded, looking up at Gordo nervously as he turned her letter over and started to read.

"Dear Miss Elizabeth McGuire," he recited, trying to keep a straight face. He put the letter down and looked at Lizzie. Tears were forming in her eyes and her bottom lip was already trembling. "You got in!" Gordo announced. "Congratulations, McGuire!" Lizzie let out a squeal of excitement and threw her arms around Gordo.

"We're going to Pepperdine!" she screamed. She grabbed the letter and read over it once, then raced down the stairs. "Mom!" she called, running into the living room. Jo jumped up from the couch, turning off the Lifetime Television for Women movie that she was watching.

"What? Is something wrong?" Jo asked. Lizzie thrust the letter into Jo's hand.

"I got in! I'm going to Pepperdine!" she yelled, jumping into the air. Jo's face changed from a panicked expression to a wide, stunned smile.

"Oh! Congratulations honey!" she cried, embracing Lizzie in a hug. "I knew you could do it. Let's go out to dinner tonight to celebrate," she suggested. "Gordo, you're more than welcome to join us, of course," she added.

"Can we go to Outback Steakhouse?" Lizzie asked. She knew it was Gordo's favorite. Jo picked up the cordless phone on the coffee table.

"Whatever you want," she reminded Lizzie. "I'll call and make a reservation right now!" Lizzie smiled and grabbed Gordo's hand.

"Come on," she demanded. "I need to go add this to my scrapbook!" Gordo chuckled to himself. It was cute the way that Lizzie was so excited. He felt really relieved knowing that they had both gotten into Pepperdine. As he looked down at Lizzie's French manicured hand clutching his own, he smiled. _I could definitely get used to this,_ Gordo silently decided.

Meanwhile, Miranda Sanchez was sitting at her kitchen table, alone, reading over her Pepperdine acceptance letter. She remembered when she, Gordo, and Lizzie had applied together at the end of last year. Lizzie had told them that they had a better chance of being accepted if they applied early admission. Miranda sighed as she looked at the letter again. She wondered if Lizzie and Gordo had gotten in. She picked up her phone and started to call them, but then decided against it. She hadn't talked to Lizzie since their fight. She decided she'd just tell Lizzie at school tomorrow. It would be a good excuse to talk to her, anyway.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day at school, Lizzie was standing outside of her Economics classroom when Miranda walked up and stood next to her.

"Hey, Lizzie," Miranda said. Lizzie looked over at her, wondering what Miranda's motives for talking to her were. Oh well. As much as she hated to admit it, she did kind of miss Miranda.

"Hi," she replied. "What's up?" Miranda looked just as uncomfortable as Lizzie was.

"I got into Pepperdine," Miranda confessed. "I just wanted to let you know." Lizzie smiled, remembering when she had made Gordo and Miranda apply ridiculously early so that the three musketeers could go to college together.

"Really! Me too. So did Gordo!" Lizzie looked down at Miranda's black nail polish and frowned. If Kate were here right now, they would have made fun of it as soon as Miranda left.

"Listen, Lizzie. I'm really sorry about what happened after the pep rally. I shouldn't have said those things to you," Miranda said. "I just miss you. Ever since cheerleading camp, you've been hanging out with Kate, and it's like you never have time for me anymore." Lizzie didn't know what to say. The truth was, once she and Kate had become friends, she had realized that she and Miranda just didn't have that much in common. But she did miss Miranda.

"It's okay, Miranda. And I'm sorry that you felt humiliated." Suddenly, Kate and Gordo walked up to them. Kate frowned, obviously disgusted that Miranda was there.

"Lizzie, I need to talk to you," Kate said, sneering at Miranda. "In private." Unfortunately for Kate, as soon as the words left her mouth, the bell rang to signal that class was starting. "Dammit! If I'm late to English one more time, I get a detention. And that means I sit out of the Homecoming game," Kate shrieked as she took off running down the hallway. Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda walked into Eco together, and it looked like the Three Musketeers might be together again.

Miranda and Kate weren't in the same lunch period as Lizzie and Gordo, and when the lunch bell rang, Lizzie was relieved that she and Gordo would have some time to themselves. They walked down to the cafeteria and took their seats at the cheerleaders table.

"I hate to admit it, but I actually kind of missed Miranda," Gordo said. Lizzie raised her eyebrows.

"You? Missed Miranda?" she laughed. "Gordo, I thouht that you just pretended to like her because she's my best friend." Gordo shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess I just never realized that I actually do like hanging out with her and talking to her. I was just getting so tired of her constant bitching," he explained. Lizzie nodded. She understood that completely.

"Yea, Miranda told me that it's just been hard for her to adjust to Kate." Suddenly, Ethan Craft came into the cafeteria with a guitar. He strolled over to Claire Miller, who was sitting on the other end of the cheerleaders table and got down on one knee in front of her. Then he began to play "Brown Eyed Girl" on his guitar. When he was finished he took Claire's hand.

"Claire, will you go to Homecoming with me?" he asked. The entire cafeteria erupted into applause as she accepted. Lizzie made a mental note to cross Ethan off of her possible dates list. _When am I going to get asked?_ She wondered. Suddenly, Molly Parker slid herself into the seat next to Gordo.

"Gordo! I didn't know you had this lunch," Molly exclaimed. She was a sophomore, and Gordo's next door neighbor. Lizzie had never really liked her.

"Yeah," Gordo said. Molly tossed her long, white blonde hair and giggled.

"So, that was totally cute how Ethan asked Claire to Homecoming," she said. "I hope I get asked in a creative way like that." She flashed Gordo a smile and then gave him a peck on the cheek. "Well, I'm outie!" Molly exclaimed, standing up quickly. As she did, her arm brushed against Lizzie's coke, accidentally knocking it over. Lizzie watched in horror as the coke spilled into her lap, ruining her brand new white eyelet skirt.

"Oh, my God! I'm so sorry!" Molly cried out, grabbing napkins and paper towels off of the table and throwing them into Lizzie's lap. Lizzie's face felt like it was on fire as she heard her classmates snickering at her.

"Gordo! DO something!" Lizzie yelled. "God!" she jumped up and hurried to the parking lot, eager to get the hell out of there. As Lizzie got into her Volkswagen Jetta, she felt overwhelmed with anger and confusion. _Who does Molly Parker think she is!_ She fumed, turning on her favorite Britney Spears CD. Suddenly a more disturbing thought came to her mind. _What if Gordo asks Molly to Homecoming?_


	7. Chapter 7

As soon as Lizzie got home she ripped off her soiled skirt and threw it on top of the washing machine for Jo to wash when she got home. Then she grabbed her cell phone from the bottom of her cheerleading bag and called Kate. _Kate's the only person who understands me, _she thought as she waited for Kate to pick up.

"Oh my God, Lizzie, I heard about the cafeteria today," Kate said immediately.

"Can you come over?" Lizzie asked impatiently, as she flipped to Molly's picture in the previous year's yearbook.

"Be there in 10," Kate chirped, hanging up. Lizzie took a black sharpie out of her desk drawer and uncapped it angrily, accidentally drawing a thick black streak on the palm of her hand as she jerked the cap off. _SLUT_ Lizzie scrawled across Molly's perfect face.

Gordo was sitting in his desk in Calculus thinking about Lizzie. He hadn't seen Lizzie so mad in years. _What's wrong with her?_ He wondered, looking out the window at the parking lot. Lizzie's Jetta was gone. He couldn't believe she had actually gone home. It wasn't even that big of a deal. Gordo still felt horrible about it, though. He had tried to console Lizzie, but she was so furious that she hadn't noticed him calling her name as she ran out of the cafeteria. _It's not like Molly meant to spill Lizzie's coke,_ he told himself. Gordo figured it would be best to just let it go. He would talk to her about it all tomorrow.

Kate sat on Lizzie's bed holding Lizzie's hand as Lizzie cried hysterically. "I just can't believe it! I'm a SENIOR! And I'm a cheerleader! And I've just been completely humiliated in front of everyone by a sophomore!" Lizzie sobbed.

"I know," Kate said, rolling her eyes in disgust. "Who does she think she is anyway?"

"Gordo's girlfriend, probably," Lizzie spat out. "She's such a slut. She was ALL over him, Kate. She was totally trying to make him ask her to homecoming."

"Trust me, Gordo will not ask Molly to Homecoming," Kate said quickly. Lizzie kicked her cheerleading bag in frustration.

"I haven't even been asked yet," Lizzie said angrily. Kate decided that it wasn't a good time to mention that Danny had asked Kate this morning. As Lizzie continued to cry and shout expletives, Kate contemplated letting Lizzie in on a little secret that would probably cheer her up. But she decided Lizzie would just have to wait. This surprise was too good to be spoiled.

"Lizzie, don't worry," Kate reassured her. "You're going to get asked."

Molly Parker laughed to herself as she typed an IM to her best friend Caroline later that night.

**MissMolly15 (8:13 pm):** OMG did you see the look her face? I totally shut her down.

**Caro1ineHHSqt (8:13 pm)**: way 2 go! Why is she still so obsessed with Gordo? She's known him forever. If he liked her he would have asked her out by now.

**MissMolly15 (8:14 pm)**: maybe she'll get the msg when he asks me to homecoming 

**MissMolly15 (8:17 pm):** hey Gordo ;-)

**MissMolly15 (8:20 pm):** hellooo?

**MissMolly15 (8:26 pm**): r u there?

**DavidGORDOn signed off at 8:34 pm.**

As Lizzie signed on to check her e-mail, the first thing she noticed was that Gordo was online. She looked questioningly at the IM that popped up on her screen.

**DavidGORDOn (8:18 pm):** hey McGuire

Lizzie started to type a response but decided against it. She didn't feel like talking about what had happened at lunch today. Too late.

**DavidGORDOn (8:19 pm): **sorry about what happened at lunch today

**LoveLizzieMcG (8:20 pm):** can we not talk about this right now?

Lizzie felt a hint of satisfaction as she read his last message, but the last thing she wanted to think about right now was the Molly incident. She'd already been crying over it all day. She opened a new IM window and typed a message to Kate.

**LoveLizzieMcG (8:19 pm): **Gordo apologized.

**SexycheerleaderKS (8:19 pm): **aww so sweet  told you so

**DavidGORDOn (8:22 pm): **Lizzie's mad at me. Hopefully after the pep rally tomorrow that will change…

**SexycheerleaderKS (8:25 pm): **im sure it will! don't worry!

Gordo frowned as he realized that Lizzie wasn't typing anything back to him. Was she really that mad? He finished typing up an important e-mail to Kate and signed off.


	8. Chapter 8

"You look hot, Lizzie!" Kate teased, smiling.

"Not as hot as you," Lizzie replied, looping a lime green scrunchie around her side ponytail. She laughed as she looked at her latest pep rally ensemble. She and Kate were wearing hot pink sports bras and lime green T-shirts with the necklines cut out. The shirts revealed one shoulder and were tied to one side on the bottom. They had on their black cheerleading skirts and neon colored leg warmers. It was time for Lizzie's favorite pep rally of the year, "80s the OC." The band started to play the school song as Lizzie and Kate took their usual places in the center of the gym and students filed into the bleachers excitedly. As usual, Jo was sitting in the very front row with her video camera. Lizzie smiled and rolled her eyes. She spotted Gordo and Miranda in the crowd and waved. Gordo was wearing a tux.

"Aww. Poor Gordo. I think he misunderstood the theme," Lizzie whispered to Kate.

"Who knows," Kate quickly answered. "GO HILLRIDGE!" she yelled, kicking one leg into the air. _OK, that was weird,_ Lizzie thought. _She didn't even look at him._ Ice, Ice Baby blared through the loud speakers and the cheerleaders started their dance. Gordo was starting to get nervous as he watched Lizzie do the running man and swing her side ponytail around. Even when she was making a complete fool of herself, she was adorable. Gordo felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over. Molly was sliding her skinny ass into the empty spot right next to him.

"Well, hello there sexy," Molly crooned. Gordo felt himself starting to get annoyed.

"Molly, you really need to---"

Miranda interrupted him."Molly, he doesn't like you," she said loudly. "And in case you haven't noticed, this is the SENIORS section. So leave." Molly poked out her bottom lip, embarrassed and insulted. She slunk back to her own group. Lizzie was watching them out of the corner of her eye as she danced.

"What's going on?" she wondered. Had they just kicked Molly out of the seniors section?" The routine ended and Kate ran up to the microphone. _What is she doing? This isn't planned, _Lizzie thought as Kate started to make a speech about a special surprise. Lizzie looked around frantically, not having any clue was going on. The song "Come on Eileen" began to play and Lizzie danced along to the beat. This was her all-time favorite 80s song. Suddenly, she saw Gordo making his way down the bleachers holding a rose. Her heart began to beat faster. He got down on one knee in front of her just in time for the chorus and Kate handed him the microphone.

"Come on Lizzie

Oh, I swear on my knees

At this moment

You mean everything

You in that dress…

Well my thoughts I confess

Will you please go

To Homecoming with me?"

Lizzie was speechless. She looked into her mom's video camera and then at Gordo, who was still kneeling in front of her. The whole gym had started to chant, "Come on, Lizzie McGuire, hey! Come on, Lizzie McGuire, hey!"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Gordo. Gordo gave Lizzie a huge hug, and as she rested her head on his shoulder, she caught of glimpse of Molly, glaring at them and crying. Lizzie winked at her and smiled. The principal took the microphone from Kate.

"As you know, this is the pep rally where we announce our Homecoming Queen Candidates," she said. "This year's candidates are…" There was an eager silence in the gym. The principal began to read off of the notecard she was holding.

"Kate Sanders," Kate waved and smiled. She wasn't surprised that her name had been called. "Claire Miller," the principal continued. "Lizzie McGuire," Lizzie's mouth dropped open. She grabbed Kate's hand and squeezed it.

"We're both on court!" she hissed, not paying attention to the other two names. Lizzie waved her poms at the crowd, feeling elated. She was a homecoming queen candidate and she was going to the dance with Gordo! Could life get any better!


	9. Chapter 9

Lizzie fastened her tiara securely to her blonde hair and spritzed on some of her favorite perfume, Clinique Happy Heart. She still couldn't believe she had been crowned Homecoming Queen at the game last night. And Gordo was king! It was like a fairy tale. She looked at the clock hanging above her bed. Gordo would be here any minute. Sure enough, the doorbell rang and Jo, who had been waiting in the entryway with her videocamera for the past half hour, quickly opened it. Lizzie took a deep breath and made her way down the stairs.

Gordo couldn't hide his smile. He offered Lizzie his hand and helped her down the last few stairs.

"You look amazing," he said sincerely. Lizzie blushed.

"So do you," she told him. And he did. He had cut his curly brown hair into a shorter style and was wearing khaki pants and a black blazer with a sexy black tie. He gave Lizzie a kiss on the cheek and she felt her face flush. She looked outside and saw a black Hummer limousine.

"Oh, my God! Is that for us?" she breathed. Gordo nodded proudly.

"Nothing but the best for your royal highness," he teased. Lizzie bit her lip and smiled at him.

"You kids better get going," Jo said. "You don't want to be late."

"Bye mom. I'll be home later,"Lizzie called, letting Gordo escort her to the limo. Jo wiped a tear from her eye.

"They're just so adorable together," she told Sam. Sam watched the limo slowly pull away from the house.

"Gordo's a real gentleman," he observed. "He's a keeper."

"You didn't have to do all of this for me," Lizzie told Gordo as she looked around the limo. Gordo smiled shyly and looked up at her.

"I know. But I wanted to," he replied. "Do you have any idea how beautiful you look?" Lizzie tilted her head and looked into his eyes._He's sosexy,_ she thought. She put her hand gently on his face and leaned towards him, brushing her lips against his. Gordo returned the favor, drawing her closer and kissing her gently. They continued kissing until the limo came to a stop in front of Hillridge, and they separated, smiling coyly. As Gordo led Lizzie into the dance, Principal Young took notice.

"And now, please welcome your homecoming queen and king, Lizzie McGuire and David Gordon!" he exclaimed. Everyone applauded, except for Molly Parker, who leaned over to Caroline.

"God, they make me sick," she whispered. "Lizzie McGuire is going down."


	10. Chapter 10

Gordo wrapped his arms around Lizzie's waist as they began their Homecoming King and Queen dance to "Never Had a Dream Come True" by S Club 7. Lizzie rested her head on his shoulder, her blonde hair brushing gently against his arm.

"They're so perfect together," Kate whispered to Claire. Miranda Sanchez watched halfheartedly from the other side of the room. Even though she and Lizzie had made up, she still felt like she was out of their little group. Lizzie and Gordo had always kind of had a thing for each other, and now it looked like they might finally do something about it, and Miranda would feel like even more of a third wheel. She scanned the room for her date, Carlos. Carlos was a great dancer, and a sweet guy, but Miranda wasn't sure if he wanted anything more than friendship. And as crazy as it sounded, she kind of wanted to hold off for Ethan Craft. She looked around, hoping to see Ethan so that he could catch a glimpse of her sexy, tight fitting red dress and professionally done makeup. She spotted him near the middle of the circle of people gathered around Lizzie and Gordo. Ethan had decided he was too cool to take a date to Homecoming, and so he was alone. Miranda approached him, flashing him her most provocative smile.

"Hey Ethan," she said breathily. "Want to dance?" The song had changed to Shake Ya Tailfeather, and Miranda stood in front of Ethan with her arms raised over her head, shaking her ass like a professional.

"Holy shit!" Ethan gasped to Danny Kessler as he started to grind with Miranda. He'd always thought that Miranda was sexy. A little weird, maybe, but hot. As they danced, Molly took her opportunity to whip a flask out of her purse and empty the contents into one of the punch bowls on the table, making sure to keep the other one pure. She dipped her finger in and tasted it. _Mmmm. Everclear. The invisible intoxicant,_ she thought to herself. Then she stood behind the table and began to serve drinks.

Gordo gave Lizzie a quick peck on the cheek and headed to the punch bowls. He was so thirsty. He was smiling to himself as he approached the table. God, Lizzie was amazing..

"Are you having a good time, Gordo?" Gordo's smile faded as he saw Molly standing behind the table, serving punch. She was about the last person he wanted to see.

"Yeah. Lizzie's amazing," he said, hoping she'd get the hint.

"Good! Have fun!" Molly handed him a large cup of punch and took a big gulp. He cringed and looked at his cup. It tasted alcoholic. Gordo shrugged and kept drinking it. He was so thirsty he didn't care, and he seriously doubted that the chaperones would let someone get by with spiking it. He finished his punch and tossed the empty cup into the trash.

An hour later, Lizzie put her hand up to Gordo's forehead.

"Gordo, are you feeling okay?" she asked, looking concerned. Gordo was acting really weird.

"I'm fine," he said, his green eyes bloodshot and glazed over. He hated to lie to Lizzie. He really didn't feel fine. He felt drunk, but he knew Lizzie would be furious if he told her. She had zero tolerance for things like this, and he didn't feel like explaining the whole 'someone must have spiked the punch' thing. Lizzie gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Okay, well I'm going to go to the bathroom," she said. She headed towards the courtyard and outside to the restrooms. Molly watched and then hurried up to Gordo, putting her arm around him.

"Hey there," she whispered. Gordo's head was spinning.

"Lizzie?" he slurred. Molly frowned. _Why are you so obsessed with her! _She wanted to scream. But she didn't. Gordo had downed at least 3 big cups of punch. She knew he was wasted.

"Mm hmmm," she said. "I'm back."

"That was fast," Gordo mumbled. He felt awful. "I'll be right back," he slurred. He felt like he was going to vomit, and he wanted to be in front of the toilet, not Lizzie, when it happened. "But you can't leave!" Molly said quickly.She took Gordo's face in her hands and glanced towards the bathroom. Lizzie was coming back. She was at the door. As Lizzie walked into the cafeteria, Molly pressed her lips against Gordo's fast, before he could get a good look at her face, and began to French him, right in the middle of everyone. Lizzie's face felt hot and tears immediately sprang to her eyes. Suddenly, Gordo looked over at her and a look of shock registered on his face as he looked back at Molly.

"What the fuck?" he said angrily. "Lizzie!" Lizzie stood in place, outraged.

"How could you do this to me!" she sobbed. Molly smiled with pleasure.

"My bad," she smirked, winking at Lizzie. Lizzie stormed up to her.

"What is your problem!" she yelled. "You've always wanted to tear us apart. You've always been so jealous of me because you're like in love with Gordo. Well congratulations! You did it! You can have him!" She turned to Gordo, looking at him with disappointment as tears streamed down her face. He was swaying in place.

"Are you drunk!" she hissed. Gordo opened his mouth to respond. Suddenly he was hit by a wave of nausea.

"Lizzie… move," he stammered.

"What?" Lizzie asked, not understanding him. Gordo stood in place, motionless, taking deep breaths, but he couldn't stop it. He doubled over andthrew upall over the bottom of Lizzie's dress. Lizzie stared at it in disgust, continuing to cry. Kate, who was watching in a stunned silence, hurried over to Lizzie.

"Come on sweetie," she said gently, glaring at Gordo. "I'll take you home."


	11. Chapter 11

"Why don't you just spend the night at my house tonight?" Kate offered. "I can't let you face the humiliation of explaining this to your family." Lizzie nodded as she stared out of the window of Kate's car.

"I just can't believe he was drunk," Lizzie muttered. "And at a school function!" Kate turned the Escalade onto Bridgecrest Hills Court, the most exclusive street in Hillridge, and parked her car in the large circular driveway of her home.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you," she said as she put the car in park. Lizzie tried to smile. A night relaxing at Kate's estate might relax her. They could float in the lazy river behind Kate's house and watch movies in the home theater until Lizzie had completely forgotten about Gordo. But Lizzie couldn't help feeling sorry for herself. She had suffered so much humiliation in the past two weeks. Kate's cell phone started to ring. Lizzie liked the Sex and the City ringtone. She reminded herself to ask Kate if they could watch Kate's complete collection of Sex and the City DVDs. Kate answered and Lizzie could tell that whoever was on the other end was saying something that Kate thought was pretty important.

"Oh my God," Kate was saying in a hushed voice. "Are you fucking kidding me? I knew it!" Lizzie tilted her head curiously.

"What are they saying?" she mouthed to Kate, straining to overhear the conversation.

"That little bitch. I knew it. HA. Are you kidding me! Oh my God, I have to tell Lizzie everything. Thank you sooo much for calling me babe. Okay, I'll call you tomorrow. Ciao!" She flipped the phone shut and threw it into her purse.

"I have to talk to you NOW," she said, grabbing Lizzie's arm and rushing her into the house.

As Lizzie sat on Kate's canopy bed she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Apparently, some freshman saw Molly Parker spike the punch and told a chaperone. They called her parents," Kate explained. Lizzie leaned back onto some of Kate's big fluffy pillows.

"So that's why he was drunk," she said, rolling her eyes. "Well, he still kissed her." Kate pursed her lips.

"I just think you need to talk to him about it. I'm driving you over there in the morning," Kate said.

"I can't… I don't want to talk to him yet. He made me look like a fool in front of everyone. I was homecoming queen. This was supposed to be my night, and I ended up being like the joke of the whole dance!" Lizzie felt embarrassed just remembering the disastrous night.

"Lizzie, it wasn't like that at all. He was so drunk. I mean, do you really think he even knew what he was doing? I know you've done some stupid things when you've been drunk. And Claire told me that she heard something… Molly told him she was you or something. I don't remember word for word what she said, and I don't want to get the story wrong, so I think you should talk to Gordo about it. Just give him a chance to explain."

Lizzie brushed her hands through her long blonde hair, thinking about it.

"And what if he tells me that he did know? That he kissed her on purpose?" Lizzie demanded.

"Lizzie! He won't say that!" Kate shouted.

"Fine. We'll go over there in the morning and I'll talk to him about it," Lizzie agreed, throwing up her hands in defeat. Kate smiled, obviously pleased with herself.

Gordo winced as Lizzie stepped into his bedroom, pouring light from the hallway into his dark, cool bedroom. He looked over at the bucket next to his bed and bit his lip as he fought back another wave of nausea. He'd thrown up so many times last night and this morning that he didn't even know if he was capable of doing it again.

"Hey Gordo," Lizzie said quietly. Gordo smiled.

"McGuire. Listen, I'm so sorry about everything," he said. His head was throbbing and he closed his eyes gingerly.

"Hangovers suck, don't they?" Lizzie joked. "I bet you regret all of that Everclear now, don't you?" As soon as the word "everclear" came out of her mouth, Gordo heaved into his bucket. After several minutes, he sank back onto his pillow.

"Just what I thought," he said weakly. "Nothing left." Lizzie had to admit, he looked pretty pathetic. She got up and went into his bathroom, taking a washcloth out of his cabinet and running cool water over it, then ringing it out. She returned to his room and sat on the side of his bed.

"See if this makes you feel any better," she said softly, brushing back his hair and gently putting the rag on his forehead.

"Thanks McGuire," Gordo said. He took her hand in his and looked up at her. "Listen, last night, I thought she was you. And by the time I realized it wasn't she had already grabbed me and was kissing—" Lizzie smiled at him.

"Shh. It's okay. You don't have to explain," Lizzie said. She secretly wondered why she was so quick to forgive him. But it was Gordo, and as mad and humiliated as she had been, she knew that he would never do that to her on purpose. "Just please, don't talk to her again. It would just be leading her on, and—"

"I don't think you have to worry about that," Kate interrupted from the doorway. "I just talked to Claire. Molly's expelled." Lizzie tried to hide her smile. She normally didn't like to laugh at other people's misfortune, but she despised Molly Parker.

"Okay! Time to celebrate!" she exclaimed. She looked at Gordo.

"Are you up for it?" she teased.

"Nice try, McGuire," he said, laughing. "Oh, and I'm really sorry about your dress. I'll pay for it," he offered. Lizzie waved her hand in the air.

"Don't even worry about it. You know I could never wear the same formal twice," she said. "We'll come back tonight and check on you." She gave Gordo a quick kiss on the cheek and hurried after Kate.


	12. Chapter 12

Gordo grudgingly got out of bed for the first time that day and walked into his bathroom. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and shuddered. His curly black hair was tangled and matted. His eyes were bloodshot and watering from the bright lights above the sink.

His mother Roberta poked her head into the bathroom. She was on the phone with her best friend Susan from the Neighborhood Ladies' Association. "I spent $1500 on that landscaping," Roberta bitched. "And all to lose the Yard of the Month contest to those white trash Jansens down the street. My God, did you see the horrible weeds growing behind their rosebushes? It's absolutely appalling!" She paused to listen to Susan's response. "Oh, I know! Believe me, I AM outraged. I'm going to file a complaint. Obviously, this is either a mistake or some sort of conspiracy," she continued. Gordo sniffed around him. Wha_t the fuck is that smell?_ He wondered. Was it him? He lifted up his shirt and sniffed it. Too bad he hadn't noticed the stain on it a minute ago. Gordo inhaled the overwhelming scent of his own vomit, and gagging, ripped his shirt off and threw it onto the floor. Roberta looked alarmed. "Well, I better get going. I need to go check on David," she told her friend. "No, he's still not feeling well. He seems to have picked up some sort of stomach bug." Gordo tried not to laugh out loud. If Roberta really knew why he was sick, he would get the ass whipping of his life. "Have a great day, Susan. And don't forget, boycott the Ladies' Association meeting tomorrow night! Ciao!" Gordo rolled his eyes and opened his medicine cabinet, taking out a bottle of Tylenol.

"Hi, mom," he said. "What's going on?" Roberta drummed her nails against the countertop.

"Oh, I was just talking to Susan about the Yard of the Month. We were robbed," she told him, her brow furrowed in anger. Gordo took out a bottle of Tylenol and popped two pills in his mouth, swallowing them dry.

"I'm going out with Lizzie and Kate tonight," he told Roberta. He kicked his shirt over towards the dirty clothes hamper.

"I don't know, David," Roberta answered, cringing as she spotted Gordo's shirt crumpled up on the floor. "These stomach bugs are highly contagious. You wouldn't want Lizzie or Kate to catch it from you." Gordo had to think quickly.

"Actually, I think it was food poisoning," Gordo lied. "I ate some really weird tasting Chinese takeout at the McGuires' the other night." Roberta frowned.

"Well, do whatever you think you need to do," she said dismissively. "I'm going to go over to Susan's for a while and talk about forming our own Ladies' Association. The leadership of our current club is just out of control." Gordo nodded and walked over to his closet. He slid open the floor length mirrored doors to reveal a pile of dirty clothes covering the floor and a row of polo shirts hanging neatly above it. Gordo selected a sherbet green Lacoste polo shirt and a pair of Ralph Lauren khaki shorts. He brushed his teeth, combed his hair, and reluctantly put some eyedrops in his swollen, burning eyes. He heard Kate honk from outside of his house, and he hurried out to her Escalade, sliding into the backseat next to Lizzie.

"God, why do I have to drive like a fucking chauffeur?" Kate asked, clearly miffed that no one was sitting up front with her. She tossed a trash can to Gordo. It was decorated with paint pens and said "KATE" in large pink letters with little hearts, stars, and flowers all over it. "DON'T vomit in my car," Kate ordered. "I brought you this." Gordo stared at the trash can, not sure whether to be insulted or humored.

"Don't worry," he assured her. "I haven't vomited since…" he checked his watch. "One hour and thirty two minutes ago."

"Ugh!" Kate exclaimed, clearly disgusted.

"Calm down," Lizzie instructed her. She put her arm around Gordo and gave him a squeeze. "I'm sure he'll be fine!"

"Thanks McGuire," Gordo said. "So where are we going?" Kate's eyes glimmered.

"We are going to relive some fifth grade memories," she said excitedly. Gordo raised his eyebrows. That didn't sound Kate-ish at all.

"We're going to Laser Corral!" Lizzie squealed. Gordo felt a rush of excitement. He loved playing Laser tag. "It was my idea," Lizzie continued. Lizzie smiled at Gordo. She knew how much he had loved their weekly trips to Laser Corral as kids, and now that they were older, they might have even more fun. It was dark, romantic – well, maybe not romantic, but it was full of little caves, nooks, and hiding places where she and Gordo could share a "special" moment. She rested her head on Gordo's shoulder, grinning up at him. This would be fun.


	13. Chapter 13

"Howdy! Welcome to Laser Corral!" a man dressed as a cowboy greeted them as they walked in.

"Oh! There's Miranda!" Lizzie exclaimed. Miranda and Carlos were already checked in and were selecting their names at a computer in the back.

"Miranda's here?" Gordo asked, surprised. Lizzie nodded.

"I asked her to meet us here. I mean, what's the point of reliving memories if you don't include everyone who was part of it?" Kate signed them all up and they headed to Miranda and Carlos to come up with their Laser Corral alter egos. This had always been Lizzie's favorite part.

"Miranda, who are you?" Lizzie asked, looking at the list of players on the screen.

"MexicanSexGoddess," Miranda replied casually. Carlos pinched her ass and howled. "And believe me, baby, you are a sex goddess," he said seductively. Lizzie, Gordo, and Kate, were all taken aback. _Um, ok… _Lizzie thought. Gordo and Lizzie looked at each other uncomfortably.

"Wait, so you're not a virgin?" Lizzie asked. Carlos laughed.

"Lizzie, not everyone wants to save themselves for marriage like you do, you know," Miranda said.

Miranda's no virgin," Carlos told her. "Last night she let me – "

"Carlos! There are kids here!" Miranda interrupted.

"Oh yeah? Let's give them a little preview of what they have to look forward to," Carlos said in a raunchy voice. Miranda laughed and pressed Carlos up against the wall, kissing him passionately.

"Jesus Christ! Why don't you get a room?" Kate shouted. She had been against inviting Miranda from the beginning, and had only called her because Lizzie insisted on it.

"Actually, that's a good idea," Miranda said icily. She grabbed Carlos' wrist and led him towards the exit. "Let's get the hell out of here!" Lizzie, Kate, and Gordo watched them.

"Um, since when did Miranda become such a slut?" Lizzie asked. She didn't know what to do anymore. She'd tried to patch things up with Miranda but she honestly didn't know if she could still be friends with her. They were just growing apart and maybe no matter how much they tried to stop it, it was just inevitable. Gordo sensed that Lizzie was upset and gave her a quick hug.

"Come on, McGuire! It's time for Laser Corral!" he said cheerily, pumping a fist through the air. Lizzie squealed and hurried into the holding room. The entire time that their guide, Bradley, was explaining the rules, Lizzie was staring at Gordo. He looked so hot. Gordo caught her staring and winked at her. Bradley opened the gates and everyone ran to their favorite hiding spots, waiting for other people to invade so that they could shoot them with a laser gun.

"Let's stay together," Lizzie said. Kate snorted.

"You guys do what you want. I'm hunting down every person in this room," she announced, running to a nearby cove. Kate hated to lose, and she sure as hell was not about to let a group of 10 year old kids beat her at laser tag.

"Okay, so I guess it's just us," Gordo said.

"You're with me?" Lizzie asked.

"Why not?" Gordo smiled. "For old times sake." Lizzie ran to the second story and took a right, heading for her favorite hiding spot. It was a small cove in the corner of the building, and she really doubted that anyone else even knew about it.

"Crouch down!" she instructed Gordo. They crouched behind the plastic "rock" wall and Lizzie glanced at Gordo. He looked skeptical.

"How are we going to shoot anyone here?" he asked. "Maybe we should move." Lizzie shook her head.

"I didn't come here to play laser tag," she admitted. She leaned in towards Gordo and kissed him, backing him up against the corner and running her hands through his soft curly hair.

"Gordo, I know that we've been best friends forever," she said. "But sometimes I wonder what it would be like if we were more than that." She paused, waiting for a response. Gordo looked pleased.

"So do I," he confessed. "So, do you want to be more?" Lizzie looked up at him, her green eyes hopeful.

"Do you?"

"I asked you first," Gordo teased. Lizzie pouted and Gordo decided he would just go first. "Okay. I'll just go ahead and say it, since I know you're probably too nervous. Yes. I do want to be more. And I think that we can. I know you don't want this to hurt our friendship, and neither do I. But we can't just turn our backs on it. I say, we at least try it for a while. If it's not working, we'll go back to being just friends," Lizzie couldn't believe it. She'd been waiting for this since 8th grade. "Lizzie McGuire," Gordo said. "Will you be my girlfriend?" Lizzie laughed, nodding her head.

"Of course!" she answered. Suddenly a little boy popped out from behind the cove, hitting them both with a stream of red light from his laser gun.

"Got you!" he shouted. "You shouldn't talk during laser tag! You gave away your hiding place!"


	14. Chapter 14

Miranda watched Lizzie and Gordo as they strolled down the hallway, hand in hand and laughing. It had been over a month since she'd last talked to Lizzie, but she still kept up with all of the latest gossip about her. It felt so weird. She used to be Lizzie's best friend, and now she felt like she didn't even know her. She understood how Lizzie was disappointed in her. Lizzie had vowed to remain a virgin until her wedding night, and she always tried to convince Miranda to do the same. Not only did Miranda break that promise, she didn't even tell Lizzie when she lost her virginity. She knew that Lizzie was hurt. But who the fuck did Lizzie think she was to judge her like that? Now that Lizzie and Gordo were Hillridge High's new "it" couple, Miranda wondered if anything would change. Lizzie caught Miranda staring and offered her a tight smile, then whispered something to Gordo, who looked over at Miranda and nodded. Miranda looked away, embarrassed, and quickly walked into her classroom.

Lizzie saw Miranda staring at her and smiled politely. She knew that Miranda was probably upset that Lizzie hadn't spoken to her since that night at Laser Corral, but she still just couldn't believe that Miranda hadn't told her that she slept with Carlos. And Carlos of all people. Lizzie felt like Miranda was selling herself out. She tightened her grip on Gordo's hand and looked up into his green eyes.

"Miranda's staring at us," she whispered. Gordo glanced over. He actually thought that Miranda was kind of pathetic. His psychiatrist parents had had a field day when Miranda's father had left the family for a stripper several years ago.

"That girl is going to be bad news," Mr. Gordon had remarked. "Just try to imagine the lessons that she'll learn from the dominant male presence in her life setting an example like that." So, Gordo wasn't surprised that Miranda had turned out the way that she was.

"I feel sorry for her," Gordo told Lizzie. Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. She was my best friend, and she couldn't even tell me about something huge like that!" She played with one of the straps on her customized LL Bean backpack.

"Maybe she was ashamed," Gordo suggested. Lizzie shook her head.

"She's not ashamed. She and Carlos freaking brag about it." They arrived at Lizzie's class and Gordo dropped her off.

"I'm going over to Kate's after school," Lizzie reminded him. "So I'll call you later tonight!" Gordo nodded. Maybe time with Kate would help Lizzie cool down.

As Lizzie hurried to her last class period of the day, cheerleading, she ran straight into Miranda, knocking her down.

"Sorry," Lizzie said, continuing down the hall.

"Lizzie, wait!" Miranda called. Lizzie stopped and turned around."So what, you're too good to talk to me now?" Miranda challenged her. Lizzie wasn't sure what Miranda meant.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Miranda. I'm late to cheerleading." She

waved her fingers at Miranda and turned back around.

"Just because I slept with Carlos, it's like everything changed with us. Having one partner doesn't make me a slut if that's what you think, Lizzie."

"Miranda, I didn't say—" Lizzie stammered. But Miranda cut her off.

"You don't have to say it. You're not better than me just because you're a prude,"

Miranda countered. Lizzie was stunned. Someone had finally said it out loud. Lizzie was self conscious about the fact that she was so sexually inexperienced, but she didn't think Miranda would stoop low enough to throw it in her face. Without saying another word to Miranda, Lizzie walked quickly down the hall and into the gym.

After cheerleading practice, a man in a Bentley convertible pulled up next to the chain link fence and honked. Kate grinned.

"That's our ride," she told Lizzie. Lizzie rolled her eyes, but she had to admit she was pretty pleased. Kate liked to show off by occasionally having her dad's drivers pick her up from school. Lonny helped them into the car and Lizzie admired the plush oyster colored leather. She wished that her parents had gotten a new car like this one instead of Jo's new Chrysler Town and Country Minivan. "So, Ethan's having a party this weekend," Kate said, biting one side of her lower lip mischievously.

"Finally," Lizzie replied. Ethan was known for his badass parties, but he hadn't had one in a while. His mom, Carla, tried to be more of a friend to the kids than a parent. She always provided them with plenty of "beverages" when Ethan had a party. "Miranda called me a prude today," Lizzie suddenly confessed. Kate laughed. "Lizzie, you're not a prude. You've done everything but sex. You're saving yourself. There's a big difference." Lizzie nodded. But the truth was, she hadn't done everthing but sex. She had told Kate and the other cheerleaders that at camp because she didn't want to be the only one who hadn't. She really was a prude. But she still wanted to prove Miranda wrong. And Ethan's party would be the perfect chance to do that.


	15. Chapter 15

"Gordo should be here any minute," Lizzie told Kate as she painted the nail on her pinky finger with Kate's favorite Spanish Rose nail polish. It was a deep sparkly pink and Lizzie loved it. Kate spritzed some Britney Spears Curious perfume around the room and breathed in deeply.

"Mmmmm." Lizzie laughed to herself. Kate was such a freak for expensive stuff, but she also idolized Britney Spears, and the minute Curious had come out, Kate had thrown out all of her Chanel No. 5 and bought what was apparently a lifetime supply of Curious.

"Okay," Kate replied, flipping on her tv. "We can watch for him." She set the television to channel 92, which was connected to the driveway security camera. Lizzie loved how Gordo didn't mind hanging out with them like one of the girls. Tonight, he was basically watching as Lizzie and Kate painted their nails and gossiped about Ethan's party. Several minutes later, Kate's 36 inch plasma tv screen showed his truck pull into the mansion's large circular driveway. Kate pressed a button on her wall and the familiar faint static of an intercom became audible.

"Lonny! Can you let Gordo in?" she asked. Lonny was in the kitchen preparing a tray of appetizers for them, but as soon as Kate called him on the intercom, he hurried to the front door to greet Gordo. "God, I'm so glad I have, like, servants," Kate told Lizzie, casually taking off her sweaty cheerleading shirt and throwing it on the floor. She took a Hillridge High Seniors shirt out of her dresser and put it on. "Otherwise I'd have to walk all the way downstairs just to open the door." Lizzie nodded. Gordo pushed open Kate's door and waved.

"Hey," he said. He wrinkled his nose. "What's that smell?" Kate smiled proudly.

"Only the greatest smell in the whole world. Britney Spears Curious." She held up the bottle and spritzed some in the air right in front of Gordo's face. He ducked out of the way just in time.

"So, what are we watching tonight? Mean Girls? Center Stage? Clueless?" Lizzie shook her head.

"Actually, we don't even really have a movie."

"We have more important things to discuss," Kate told him. "Like Ethan's party on Friday."

"Ahh, I knew it." Gordo eyed Kate's closet. "You want me to be the judge while you try on every outfit you own and tell you which one you should wear to the party."

"Exactly," Lizzie said cheerily. "But, I want to talk about Miranda first." Kate rolled her eyes.

"Lizzie, you have to get past that. Just forget about her." Lizzie frowned.

"I just don't know if I can. She's my best friend. And I feel like we've been so mean to her. What exactly has she done to us that was so bad?" Gordo didn't say anything. He didn't really want to get involved in all of Lizzie's Miranda drama again. But Kate couldn't care less.

"It's not like she did one big thing. It's all of the little things. All of the times that she constantly insults you and bullies you and puts you down. First there was that whole cheerleading thing at the beginning of the year. She's the one always bitching about how the pep rallies 'cater to the popular people' and 'don't give anyone else a chance to participate,' so you give her a chance and she goes apeshit on you. She bosses you around all the time. Then she calls you a prude just because you were upset that she's been fucking Carlos and lying to you about it. And she's not your best friend. God, Lizzie. This isn't 6th grade anymore. You and Miranda have grown apart. Honestly, you shouldn't feel sorry for her. She's the one who starts everything. What have you ever done to her?" Lizzie nodded slowly. Everything Kate had said was true. But she just didn't feel right excluding Miranda like this.

"I think I should give her one more chance," Lizzie decided. "I'm going to invite her to Ethan's party." Kate snorted.

"Whatever. Just don't let her think that Ethan invited her. It's no secret that she's obsessed with him, and he's NOT interested in her. It would be wrong to lead her on." Kate stood up and walked over to her closet, flinging open the French doors. "Okay. Time to model for Gordo!" Lizzie joined Kate in the closet where they tried on endless outfits for the next two hours. Finally, with Gordo's suggestion, Kate decided on a black Betsey Johnson minidress and Lizzie a turquoise sequined camisole with a delicate white skirt.

"So, now that you know what you're wearing, I better get home," Gordo told them. "My Eco project is due tomorrow and I need to put the finishing touches on it." Lizzie pouted sympathetically.

"Okay. See you tomorrow," She said. She gave him a quick kiss and he walked out to his truck.

"I'm so glad that I'm not in Eco," Kate said. Kate had taken it in summer school and was taking exactly one real class this year- English Literature. "Do you want to watch a movie?" Kate asked. Lizzie grinned. She loved Kate's collection of DVDs.

"How about Cruel Intentions?" Lizzie suggested. It was Kate's favorite. Kate liked to imagine herself as Kathryn Merteuil. She had dressed up like Kathryn for Halloween their freshman year and made Claire and Ethan go as Annette and Sebastian.

"Perfecto!" Kate said, pressing some buttons on her remote control. Her 200 disc DVD player rotated to disc number 1- Cruel Intentions, and they sat on Kate's bed eating escargot and French bread and watching Cruel Intentions until they fell asleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys! I appreciate all of the good reviews and I hope you continue to enjoy the story! I've changed the rating to M due to the last chapter and this chapter, which will deal with some "mature themes." A couple of people have complained that they feel the other characters are pretty much ostracizing Miranda for no reason, so I'm going to work on having her mean side really come through in the next chapter. I'm sorry if the language and drinking, sex, etc. offend people but I'm writing based on my high school experience and I didn't know any high schoolers who didn't use profanity on a pretty regular basis! Pretty much everything I've written so far is based on real events and customized to include Lizzie, Gordo, Kate, and Miranda. **

The next night at Ethan's party, Lizzie was sipping a diet coke with lime and dancing with Kate, who was currently enjoying her third jack and coke. "Where the hell is Gordo?" Kate asked loudly, looking around.

"His parents are making him go to Oregon this weekend to visit some relatives or something," Lizzie said. "He'll be back late Sunday night." Kate finished her drink and then tossed the empty cup onto the floor behind a large fake plant.

"Well, then! I guess we'll just have to have some fun without your boyfriend," she remarked, winking. Lizzie laughed.

"Oh my God, Kate, I have to talk to you about him." Kate tilted her head.

"What's up?" Lizzie looked around to make sure no one could overhear her.

"Well," she whispered. "Last night…"

"I can't hear you," Kate said. Lizzie pulled into her the dining room, where the rap music wasn't as loud.

"Last night Gordo and I almost did it."

"Did what?" Lizzie was pretty sure Kate knew exactly what she was talking about, but she decided to indulge her.

"I almost had sex with Gordo," she blurted out. Kate formed her mouth into a perfect 'O' of mock surprise.

"Well my little Lizzie! You're growing up!" Lizzie laughed.

"Whatever. I chickened out at the last minute. I'm still going to save myself. And he's totally okay with that. He's so sweet. He's perfect." She smiled dreamily, imagining Gordo's warm smile and sexy green eyes. Lizzie told Kate the whole story. "I wasn't even really embarrassed around him," she confided.

"I can't believe that you and Gordo almost had sex." Kate never would have imagined Lizzie initiating something like that.

"Keyword: Almost," Miranda winked at Lizzie and Lizzie felt her face turn red. How much had Miranda heard? She didn't have any idea she was even listening.

"Hi, Miranda….." Lizzie stammered. "You came!" Lizzie was actually glad to see Miranda there. Hopefully they could have some fun and hang out like they used to. It looked like Carlos wasn't around so that was good. Miranda felt like something was wrong in her relationship with Carlos anyway. He was never around anymore, and he got insanely jealous when she talked to other guys. Miranda raised her Corona in the air.

"Hell yeah!" She exclaimed. "Carlos and I are going through some problems, and tonight, I'm going to make my move on Ethan." Lizzie pulled her aside.

"Listen, I would really appreciate it if you would keep whatever you heard to yourself. That was kind of a private conversation, and.." Miranda cut her off.

"And what, Lizzie? I'm not included in it? I was your best friend, and now I'm not worthy of your super secret gossip about your nonexistent sex life?" Miranda was clearly insulted.

"Miranda, that's not what I meant and you know it," Lizzie said. But Miranda had already walked away. "Fuck!" Lizzie shouted. "What is her fucking problem!" Ethan walked up to Kate and Lizzie, high fiving them both.

"Katieeee! Lizz-ayyyy!" Lizzie smelled weed on his button down shirt and could tell that he was high.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll stop calling me Katie," Kate said icily. "No one's called me that since like 4th grade." Ethan didn't even seem to hear her comment. He started to dance with Lizzie as they talked.

"So, you're looking hot Lizz-ay. Where's the BF?"

"Gordo's in Oregon with his parents," Lizzie answered. Ethan nodded.

"Cool, cool." Ethan saw Miranda walking towards the punch bowl.

"Miranda's here?" He didn't remember inviting her, but he was pretty excited. Miranda could dance like a professional and he really thought she was cute. "Is that going to be a problem for you?" He knew about Lizzie and Miranda's recent rift.

"No, I actually invited her," Lizzie said. "I'm trying to patch things up." Ethan smiled.

"Excellent. Well, I'm going to go welcome her to the par-tay. Do you think she'd sleep with me?" Miranda looked over at Ethan dancing with Lizzie and felt enraged. _What is she doing? She knows I wanted to spend time with Ethan tonight. _Lizzie made eye contact Miranda and Miranda made a desperate and angry face. Lizzie could tell that Miranda was upset.

"Ethan, is that all you think about?" Lizzie scolded. "Well, it looks like this is your chance to go talk to her she told him, gesturing at Miranda, who was standing by herself having a drink.

"Score. I'll see you later Lizz-ay." Lizzie turned to Kate.

"I miss Gordo!" she pouted, looking around for more of their friends. Kate ignored her.

"Ethan better not sleep with Miranda," Kate said. Even though she and Ethan were over, she was still possessive, and she liked to make sure he wasn't dating anyone she didn't approve of. And she didn't approve of Miranda. "Who knows what kind of diseases she has?" Kate muttered. Lizzie was kind of taken aback.

"I doubt she has any STDs. Carlos is the only guy she's been with." Kate smirked.

"Well, she's not the only girl that Carlos has been with." Lizzie was confused.

"What?"

"He's been fucking half of the JV cheerleading squad since October. Miranda has no idea." Kate glanced over at Miranda.

"Wait, he's cheating on her?" Lizzie was suddenly angry. She and Miranda may not be close anymore, but she had no tolerance for cheaters. She pushed her way through the crowd of people towards Miranda, who was talking to Ethan.

"Miranda!" Miranda looked over at Lizzie, who was frantically walking towards her.

"So, Ethan, let's go upstairs," Miranda quickly suggested. As soon as they got into Ethan's room, Lizzie stopped them.

"Miranda, I have to talk to you!"

"Now's not a good time." Miranda flicked off the lights, then turned to Ethan and started to kiss him. Lizzie grabbed Miranda's shoulder.

"Carlos is cheating on you." Miranda looked shocked.

"What?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes. She knew Carlos had been distracted, but she didn't suspect him to cheat on her. "How do you know?"

"Kate told me. Carlos has been sleeping with some of the girls on the JV cheerleading squad. It's been going on since October." Miranda pushed past Lizzie and stormed into the living room. She found Kate and knocked into her hard.

"You knew Carlos has been cheating on me all year and you didn't say anything!" she shouted. Kate raised her eyebrows.

"I thought you knew about it. It's not really a secret. Besides, why should you care? You were just about to fuck Ethan. You're cheating too." Miranda slapped her across the face and ran outside.

Lizzie sat on Ethan's bed with her face in her hands. Was telling Miranda a mistake? She looked up at Ethan, who looked pissed.

"What's wrong?" Lizzie asked slowly. Ethan slammed his door.

"I was about to get laid. I wanted to get laid tonight. And you just scared away the girl that wanted to do it."

"Ethan, you're drunk. And you're acting crazy." Ethan pushed her down onto the bed and started to fumble with his jeans.

"Get off of me!" Lizzie screamed. But he was too strong for her. He pinned her down with one arm and tried to force himself into her, but Lizzie was struggling and making it impossible.Tears streamed down her face as she kicked at him and tried to escape. Suddenly the door was flung open. Miranda had forgotten her purse. The lights were off, but she could see two familiar shapes in the bed. Ethan and Lizzie, having what Miranda mistook for very enthusiastic sex. Lizzie screamed something incoherent at her.

"Shut up! You stupid hypocritical bitch!" Miranda yelled. She turned ran out of the room as Lizzie sobbed helplessly. Lizzie used all of her strength and kicked Ethan in the groin, causing him to release his grip on her.She jumped out from underneath him, grabbedMiranda's purse,and ran out of the room. She couldn't believe that Ethan Craft had just tried to rape her. As she burst through the front door and ran down the street, she took Miranda's cell phone out of the purse and dialed Kate's number.

"Kate? I need Lonny to pick me up. NOW," she sobbed hysterically.


	17. Chapter 17

Kate pulled her Escalade into the closest parking spot to the school and gave Lizzie a hug.

"You can do this," she told Lizzie. Lizzie wiped away a tear.

"I'm just terrified of seeing him," she said quietly. "God, Kate. I'm so lucky to have you. You have no idea how much it means to me to have your support." Kate smiled.

"I swear to God, I'm going to kick Ethan's ass," she said. Lizzie took a deep breath and walked into the double doors of Hillridge High. She greeted her friends and acquaintances in the hall, smiling like nothing was wrong. _Where's Gordo?_ She wondered. She looked around and saw Miranda staring at her, clearly infuriated.

"You little bitch," Miranda hissed coldly. Lizzie bit the inside of her cheek to keep from saying something she would regret.

"What is it now?" she asked flatly. Miranda laughed.

"Don't act like you don't know." Rage flashed in Lizzie's eyes.

"Miranda, _you_ don't know. You have no idea what you're talking about. I know what you think you saw. But you don't know anything about that either, and frankly I don't feel like talking about it. So just stop running your God damned mouth," Lizzie hissed. She took a deep breath and walked away. As she slid into her desk in English Lit, she felt tears fill her eyes. Everything was so messed up. She just wanted to talk to Gordo. After class, Lizzie saw a familiar mop of dark curly hair amidst the crowd in the hallway. She ran up to Gordo and put her hands over his eyes. "Guess who?" she said, laughing. But to her surprise, Gordo wasn't amused. He angrily removed her hands.

"Please, just leave me alone." His eyes were bloodshot and his face was flushed.

"What's wrong? Are you sick?" Lizzie looked at him, concerned. Gordo was never mean to her. When Lizzie saw his tearstained cheeks, her eyes widened. "Gordo, you've been crying. What's going on? You can tell me." Gordo looked furious.

"Miranda told me what happened," he answered. Lizzie tried to protest but Gordo wouldn't give her a chance to talk. "You make a big deal out of telling me that you want to save yourself, but then you sleep with Ethan?" Lizzie started to cry.

"Gordo, it's not like that. I didn't mean -- " Gordo snorted.

"Lizzie, please. You don't have to say it. You didn't want to sleep with me. I get it."

"No! Please just listen!" Gordo narrowed his eyes and frowned.

"We're OVER." He announced, turning around. Miranda strolled up to Lizzie, a satisfied grin on her face.

"I guess you're finally learning that your actions have consequences," she said. "You trick me into leaving the party by telling me that my boyfriend is cheating on me, and then you fuck Ethan behind my back and Gordo's back. I knew it all along. You're just a conniving slut like Kate. All of your holier than thou crap about saving yourself is such garbage. You're nothing but a whore just like all the rest of your cheerleader friends. Oh but don't worry. You can fuck all the guys you want now. I've spread the word. I told them all about your little stunt at the party, so I hate to break it you, but your cover is blown. The whole school knows that you're easy." Miranda pulled a flier out of her notebook. It had a picture of Lizzie's face photocopied onto the front of it with the words "Easy McGuire" typed across the bottom. "I've taken the liberty of distributing a few of these to students. I hope you don't mind," Miranda said sweetly. Lizzie grabbed the poster out of Miranda's hand and ripped it up.

"Does the word 'rape' mean anything to you?" Lizzie sobbed. She turned around and ran down the stairs. Gordo stared at Miranda for a minute, incredulous. Then he followed Lizzie. By the time he caught up with her, she was getting into her car.

"Lizzie! Wait!" he called. Lizzie took the key out of the door and looked at him.

"What do you want? You made it pretty clear how you feel about me," she said. Gordo shook his head.

"What happened at that party?" Gordo asked. He put his hand gently on Lizzie's shoulder. "Talk to me." Lizzie shook her head.

"Just forget it," she said. "You didn't want to hear it earlier." Gordo wrapped her in a hug and looked at her sincerely.

"Lizzie if what Miranda told me isn't true, I need to know," he said. Lizzie explained everything to Gordo, crying quietly. She felt ashamed to be having this conversation with Gordo, but she was glad that she had his support.

"He didn't actually rape me," she clarified. "But he would have, if I hadn't gotten away from him. And now the whole school thinks that I'm a slut. I just want to get the hell out of here for a while." She leaned against Gordo sobbing.

"It's okay," he said soothingly. He stroked her hair. "We'll figure everything out. And I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. When Miranda told me, I was just so hurt." Lizzie smiled weakly.

"I understand," she whispered.

"I'll take you home," Gordo offered.

"But won't you get in trouble for skipping?" Gordo took her keys and got into the drivers seat of Lizzie's Jetta.

"It's fine. This is a lot more important than any detention I could get." When Gordo pulled into Lizzie's driveway, they saw that Jo's minivan was there.

"How do I explain this to her?" Lizzie asked nervously. She really didn't want to talk to her parents about what had happened.

"Maybe you should tell her," Gordo said. "You and your mom have always been close. She'll understand that you didn't do anything wrong. And she might be able to do something about it." Gordo walked Lizzie to the door.

"I'm going to go back up to school and take care of a few things," he said. He kissed Lizzie and waved goodbye as he got back into the car.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi everybody! Just to clarify, the Carlos that Miranda is seeing in the story is NOT her cousin. They are two different people with the same name. Enjoy and please continue to review! **

Gordo's heart was racing as he parked Lizzie's Jetta in the Hillridge student parking lot. He got out of the car and wiped his sweaty palms on his T-shirt, pink fibers from Lizzie's furry magenta steering wheel cover clinging to his shirt. He pushed his curly hair out of his face as he heatedly stormed across the parking lot and through the famous glass double doors of Hillridge. Gordo took a right and flung open the heavy doors of the gymnasium, silently trying to calm himself down, but he was too angry to think straight. _Who the fuck does Ethan think he is? _he wondered furiously as he crossed the shiny wooden floors and entered the training room. He didn't even see Coach Fuller standing by the door and ran straight into him. Gordo cringed as he made contact with Fuller's sweaty gray Hillridge shirt. Gross.

"Well hey there, Gordo. You're sure in a hurry. What brings you to the training room? Urgent Presidential business?" Coach Fuller mused, looking down at him. Gordo was student body president, and every teacher and student at Hillridge knew who he was and respected him. Which made what he was about to do even more difficult.

"Uh, yeah. Kind of. I'm just here to deliver a message from the office," he lied. He spotted Ethan running on a treadmill and felt a surge of anger. Ethan shot him a cocky smile. Coach Fuller gestured towards the room and smiled at Gordo.

"Go ahead," he said generously, turning around to help a struggling freshman bench press. Gordo walked up to Ethan, enraged.

"You son of a bitch," he said angrily. "I can't believe you. I thought we were friends. You and Lizzie were friends. And then you fucking violate her?" Gordo was trying to keep his voice down because he didn't want to cause a scene and embarrass Lizzie. But it was hard. Ethan chuckled.

"What? You're just jealous because your girlfriend, The Virgin Mary, wanted to fuck me." Gordo lost control. He shoved Ethan off of the treadmill.

"What did you say!" he yelled.

"You heard me. She fucking wanted it," Ethan said. "She's the one who came into MY room." Gordo clenched his fists to keep from punching Ethan in the face.

"I swear to God, if you ever touch her again, I'll beat the absolute shit out of you," Gordo whispered, shaking with rage. He turned around and walked stiffly out of the training room. He got into his truck and drove back to Lizzie's house. Jo tearfully greeted him at the door.

"Lizzie explained everything," she said softly. As Jo embraced him in a hug, Gordo realized that he was crying, too.

"Lizzie's car is at the school," he told her. Jo nodded.

"Sam and I will go pick it up when he gets home from work. Lizzie's in her room. I'm sure she'd love to talk to you." Gordo wiped the final tears from his bloodshot eyes and headed upstairs. "And thank you for driving her home," Jo called. Gordo nodded in acknowledgement and gently opened the door to Lizzie's room. She was curled up in her bed with her teddy bear, Mr. Snuggles.

"Hey," she said, smiling weakly at Gordo. Gordo sat down next to her and slid his hand into hers.

"Lizzie, I just want you to know," he looked around the room, vowing not to let himself cry in front of her. "I'm here for you," he finished. Lizzie smiled and snuggled closer to Gordo.

"I know," she said, falling asleep. Two hours later, Lizzie's eyes fluttered open and she sat up, stretching. She saw Gordo sitting at her desk using the computer.

"Hey sleepyhead," he said, smiling at her. "Did you have a nice nap?" Lizzie groaned and stood up.

"I guess so. My head hurts from crying so much," she complained, sinking onto her window seat. Gordo frowned sympathetically. He went into her bathroom and found a bottle of Motrin.

"Here. Take these," he said, holding out two of the little orange pills and a tall glass of water. Lizzie accepted them gratefully.

The front door slammed and Matt stormed in, clutching a piece of paper. "What the fuck is this!" he shouted, waving it in the air. Jo looked up, startled, as Matt thrust the flier into her hands. She turned it over and recognized a picture she had taken of Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda at Disneyland last year. Gordo and Miranda had been cut out of it and only Lizzie's face remained. She had a wide smile on her face and was wearing Mickey Mouse ears. Underneath the picture were the words "Easy McGuire." Jo began to cry as she looked at it.

"Who would do something like this?" she asked. Matt was visibly infuriated.

"There were a shitload of them taped to the walls at school," he told her. "What's going on? People have been saying shit to me about Lizzie all day, and asking me about 'what happened,' and I have no clue about any of it." Jo sat Matt down at the table.

"Matt, I don't know what you heard…" she was interrupted by Lizzie, who sauntered into the kitchen angrily.

"I'll tell him what happened," Lizzie volunteered. "Ethan Craft tried to rape me at a party this weekend. Miranda found out about it and made these goddamn fliers for everyone and their dog to see." Matt and Jo were stunned. Lizzie hardly ever used curse words. But it was understandable. Matt punched the table angrily.

"Why didn't you tell me!" he demanded. "I'll kick his ass." He ripped the paper in disgust. "And Miranda—that bitch. Why would she even do this!" Lizzie shook her head.

"I can't go back there," she told Jo. "It's humiliating. I'm like the school slut now." Jo grabbed the phone.

"I'm calling Principal Young right now," she said angrily, taking out the Hillridge Student Directory and looking up the phone number. Lizzie bit her lip as Gordo put his arm around her supportively. "Yes, this is Jo McGuire," Jo was saying tersely. "I need to schedule a conference with Principal Young immediately."


	19. Chapter 19

"This fucking sucks," Ethan muttered to Miranda as he took his place in the special education/ in house suspension lunch line.

"No talking!" Coach Swanson roared, giving Ethan a disapproving look. Miranda, who was standing in front of him, rolled her eyes and put a carton of milk on her bile colored cafeteria tray.

Lizzie watched from the cheerleaders table as Miranda and Ethan went through the lunch line with the special education students.

"I got you something," Gordo said as he slid into the seat next to her. He placed a frosty bottle of root beer in front of her.

"Thanks, babe," Lizzie said absentmindedly. She saw all of the in-house suspension kids forming a single file line as they got ready to go back to their room. Gordo looked over at her and sighed.

"You're watching Miranda and Ethan, aren't you?" he asked. Lizzie nodded. "They got what they deserved," Gordo assured her.

"I know. It's just so weird to see them there!" Lizzie shrugged and unscrewed the top of her root beer, flipping it over to see if she had won any type of contest. She couldn't help but think of Ethan and Miranda. It had been a fight for the McGuires to get Ethan placed in in-house suspension, since the assault hadn't taken place on school property. Eventually, Sam had used his law-school background to make a deal with the Crafts. The McGuires wouldn't press charges if Ethan agreed to spend the remainder of the school year in in-house suspension. The Crafts readily agreed to the proposal, and Miranda had gotten some company in IHS. Lizzie noticed Miranda glaring at her and rolled her eyes. Miranda was making some sort of obscene gesture with her hand.

"Is she flipping you off?" Gordo asked, astounded. Reaching the end of her rope, Lizzie pushed the root beer aside and got up, walking over to the in-house suspension/special education line that Miranda was standing in. "Do you have something to say to me?" Lizzie demanded, coolly putting her hands on her hips. Miranda quickly looked over her shoulder. Coach Swanson was helping one of the retarded kids pay the cashier.

"Yeah, I do," Miranda hissed. "If it weren't for your psychotic mother not being able to handle the fact that you're a slut, I wouldn't be here!" Lizzie laughed and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Just keep telling yourself that," she advised Miranda. "I'm not a slut, and my mother is definitely not psychotic. You tried to ruin my reputation and it backfired on you. That's why you're here. End of story." Again, Miranda extended her middle finger and thrust it in front of Lizzie's face. Coach Swanson walked up to them.

"Is there a problem here?" she asked.

"Ohh, tell on me, you fucking baby. I dare you!" Miranda challenged.

"Miranda, that's enough." Coach Swanson said. She pulled a pad of office referrals out of her tote bag and quickly filled one out. "Come with me. We're going to have a little chat with Principal Young. I've just filled out a referral for your transferal to District Alternative Education Placement." Lizzie walked back to her table and sat down next to Gordo.

"What happened?" Gordo asked. Lizzie watched Coach Swanson herd the special ed/suspension kids out of the cafeteria.

"Miranda's being referred to District AEP," she announced. "Her behavior is so out of control lately. I seriously think that she's on drugs.But District AEP isserious. Ifeel kind of bad," she added.

"Don't feel bad. She's getting what she deserves," he said. "What she did to you was inexcusable, and if she still can't see that, she needs to get serious help." Lizzie looked up at him.

"You don't think I'm a bitch?" she asked. Gordo kissed her gently on the lips.

"Babe, I could never think that about you. Besides, you're just standing up for yourself. What's bitchy about that?" Matt and Melina walked up to the cheerleaders table and sat down across from Lizzie and Gordo.

"Was Miranda bothering you?" Matt asked. Lizzie smiled. It was so cute how Matt was protective of her now.

"No, Matt. I don't care what she does anymore. She couldn't bother me if she tried." Matt was reassured.

"Mom and Dad wanted me to tell you that you need to come straight home after cheerleading today," he said. Lizzie looked confused.

"What? But Gordo and I were going to go to In-N-Out," she protested. Matt put her keys in the pocket of his backpack.

"Sorry. We're having one of those gay family meetings," he said.

"Oh, my God," Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Okay. I'll be there," she said grudgingly. She hated McGuire family meetings. It made her feel about seven years old. Had something important happened? She tried to think, but nothing came to mind. Maybe someone had died? Lizzie started to get worried. Suddenly she remembered. Spring Break was coming up. Were they going on a vacation! An excited smile crossed her face as she bit into her Snickers bar. A vacation was just what she needed right now.

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It was 5:16 pm, Lizzie was sprawled out on the red floral Ralph Lauren couch in her living room, waiting for their family meeting to start. Matt was in the green leather Lazy Boy, playing Grand Theft Auto. The doorbell rang and Lizzie looked towards the front door. It was obvious that Matt wasn't going to pause his game to answer the door, so she reluctantly got up.

"Surprise," Gordo said as Lizzie opened the door. Lizzie tilted her head, confused.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "We're having a McGuire family meeting, remember?" Gordo laughed.

"Well, apparently, it's a McGuire-Gordon family meeting." He gestured to the driveway. Sure enough, Roberta Gordon's Lexus SUV was parked behind the McGuire's minivan, and Gordo's parents were walking towards the front door, carrying what looked like some brochures. Jo greeted them excitedly, inviting them in. When everyone was situated, Sam held up one of the brochures.

"As you know, Spring Break is in about a month. Your mother and I have been looking into it, and we think that everyone in this family deserves a vacation. We've been talking to the Gordons, and made the joint decision that we'll all be going to Cancun for Spring Break!" Lizzie squealed excitedly and grabbed Gordo's hand.

"We're going to Mexico!" she shrieked, dancing around the living room. Matt smiled.

"Nice," he said, imagining himself drinking a Corona on the beach. "The beaches there are topless, right?" he asked. Sam shot him a surprised look.

"Matthew!" Jo exclaimed. "Enough!" Lizzie grabbed the brochure from Sam's hand and looked at the picture. A white sand beach, with crystal clear water and large palm trees lining the shore.

"Gordo, I'm so excited!" she squealed. Gordo nodded.

"Me too," he said. "Prepare yourself, McGuire. This is going to be the best Spring Break of your life!"


	20. Suggestions

Make a Suggestion!

What would you like to see happen on the McGuire/Gordon trip to Mexico?

Let me know!

I will be accepting and considering ideas and suggestions, so don't be shy! Let me know if you'd like to receive credit for your idea in the story. I probably won't be able to use all of them, but if yours isn't used, there will be other opportunities. (They still have a prom coming up…)


	21. Chapter 20

**Special thanks to **

**kikyoreborn9295**

**Hermionenancygrangerdrew**

**pinky5004 (will appear in a later 'vacation' chapter!)**

**for your contributions! I am working on incoporating all of your ideas!**

"Okay, kids. Sam got some donuts for everybody!" Jo held out a box of Krispy Kremes with a perky smile on her face. The McGuires and Gordon's were all loaded into Jo's van on the way to the airport. Lizzie looked at the digital clock on the dashboard. 5:15 am. She groaned and closed her eyes, pulling her Hillridge Cheerleading sweatshirt over her face. Roberta and Howard Gordon, seated in the captain style seats behind Jo and Sam, eagerly took donuts and the steaming cups of coffee that Sam offered them.

"This looks great," Howard said, holding his cup of coffee in a toast. Sam knocked his cup against Howard's and they laughed. "Who wants a donut!" Sam asked enthusiastically.

"I'll take one!" Matt reached into the box and grabbed three donuts, devouring them within seconds.

"Matt's our morning person in the family," Jo said to Roberta, who nodded. "Lizzie, honey, wake up. You need to eat breakfast. I know how you get when you don't eat," Jo said. She pulled Lizzie's sweatshirt off of her face and handed her a donut. Gordo lifted his head off of Lizzie's shoulder, embarrassed to see a trail of drool on her arm.

"Gordo, gross!" Lizzie exclaimed. Gordo blushed.

"Sorry." He reached into the box and got a donut. "I have to say, I'm getting kind of claustrophobic in here," he commented. Lizzie pouted sympathetically. Gordo was crammed into the middle of the back seat between Lizzie and Matt.

"Well, get used to it. It's going to be even tighter on the plane," Matt said, reaching for his fourth donut. Gordo nodded.

"True. So Matt, what are you most excited about?" A mischievous grin spread across Matt's face as he clasped his hands together.

"Topless European tourist women," he whispered. He pulled some crumpled papers out of his backpack and pointed to the writing on them. Gordo silently read the passages which Matt had highlighted.

_Customer Reviews of the San Cristobal Resort: _

"_My husband and I thought that this would be a fun family vacation for ourselves and two children, a twelve year old son and eight year old daughter. However, we couldn't have been more wrong. When we took our children down to the beach, we were horrified to discover that it was swarmed with topless and sometimes completely naked women. I was appalled and deeply disturbed that my children had witnessed such a thing. I alerted the manager of the obscenities that we had encountered, and he informed us that this was a regular occurrence at the resort, and that many European guests found it customary to arrive at the beach partially or fully undressed. We will never go back." –Mary Ann, Nebraska_

"_Before vacationing at the San Cristobal, be aware that the beaches are topless. While guests are not required to go topless, many choose to do so." –Carly, New York_

Gordo felt his lips curving into a smile. Lizzie at a topless beach…. He quickly snapped out of his little fantasy and handed the papers back to Matt, who was smiling eagerly.

"So, what do you think?" Matt asked. "Are you excited?"

"Let me see that!" Lizzie snatched the papers from Matt's hand and raised her eyebrows as she read them. "I'm sure Melina would appreciate this," she said sarcastically.

"Come on, Lizzie. You know I wouldn't cheat on Melina. But there's nothing wrong with enjoying some tits and ass from other girls. It's not like I'm doing anything," Matt said.

"Matt, what are you talking about?" Jo asked, concerned. "Did I just hear something inappropriate?"

"No, ma'am," Matt said.

"People who go topless are such white trash," Lizzie remarked. Gordo took her hand.

"Don't worry. I have no interest in looking at anyone other than you," he reassured her quietly. Lizzie smiled and leaned back in her seat, satisfied.

Lizzie was sitting in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs at the airport, reading her latest issue of Seventeen. She checked her watch. They should be boarding any minute. Lizzie looked around at all of the people in the airport. Maybe she'd see someone interesting. As her eyes scanned the terminal, they stopped on a very familiar face. Miranda? "Gordo!" Lizzie hissed. She tried to duck behind her magazine, but Miranda had spotted her. "What are they doing here!" Lizzie asked Gordo, shooting a glance towards Miranda.

"Don't they have family in Mexico?" Gordo asked skeptically. Lizzie tensed, and Gordo stroked her arm reassuringly. "Just ignore her," he advised. Lizzie nodded.

"You're right. I will." Lizzie turned around to see Jo rushing up to her holding two boarding passes.

"Sweetie, your father and I got upgraded," Jo explained. "We have two first class seats. But, as an early birthday present, we're going to let you and Gordo have them." She slipped the boarding passes into Lizzie's hand and smiled. Lizzie gratefully accepted them.

"Thank you so much!" she exclaimed. She loved first class. Better food, more comfortable seats, less people.

"Wow, thank you Mrs. McGuire," Gordo said. He and Lizzie got up to board the plane, ignoring the frosty glares that Miranda was giving them.

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"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our cruising altitude. You are now free to move about the cabin." Lizzie took a bite of her smoked salmon.

"Mmmm," she murmured. "This is the way to travel." Gordo laughed and took off his headphones.

"I'm going to the restroom," he said, unbuckling his seat belt. Lizzie watched him walk to the first class restroom. She bit her lip thoughtfully. _Should I do it?_ She wondered. She looked around at the other people seated in first class. They were all business type people, adults. And they all seemed to be asleep. Lizzie's lips turned up into a sly smile. No one would see her. She couldn't resist. She unbuttoned her seatbelt and walked discretely to the restroom.

"Excuse me," she purred, knocking lightly on the door. Unfortunately for her, Lizzie was unaware that seated right behind her and Gordo's row was Miranda Sanchez. And Miranda was very much awake.

Lizzie pushed Gordo against the wall and started kissing him. "Please stay seated until the flight attendant tells you otherwise," Lizzie instructed in a whispery voice, straddling Gordo as he sat on the toilet seat. Gordo was visibly aroused as Lizzie grabbed his hand and slid it underneath her shirt and pink satin bra. He nibbled on her ear gently. "Welcome to the Mile High Club," Lizzie said, giggling. Gordo laughed.

"Well, we're not actually members yet. We're still virgins," he reminded Lizzie. Lizzie looked at him, smiling coyly.

"You know Gordo, I've been thinking about that," Lizzie began. They were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Excuse me? I need to use the restroom," someone called out. It was Miranda. Lizzie froze in terror as she desperately looked around for a place to hide. There was nowhere.

"Gordo, say something!" she hissed. Gordo looked at the door in a panic.

"Uh, just a minute!" he said, standing up and wiping the lip gloss off of his neck. On the other side of the door, Miranda smirked.

"Oh, excuse me!" she said to a flight attendant walking by. "There seem to be two people occupying the restroom. I just thought you should know. In case it's some sort of, like, safety hazard." The flight attendant rapped on the door angrily.

"I'm going to have to order you to exit the lavatory immediately," she said. "Both of you." Ashamed, Lizzie and Gordo slunk out of the bathroom. Busted.


	22. Chapter 21

When Lizzie and Gordo got off of the plane, Lizzie prepared herself for a long lecture. "Please don't tell my parents," she sobbed to the flight attendant. "You don't understand. We really weren't doing what you think we were doing! I'm still a virgin. And if my parents find out about this, I'll be in so much trouble! They'll probably never let me leave Hillridge again." Gordo tried a different approach.

"We're really sorry," he said. "What we did was wrong, and it will never happen again. But, she's not lying. There was no sex involved." The flight attendant didn't say anything in response. Lizzie sank down in a chair, crying. As the flight attendant turned around to help a customer, Miranda snuck up behind next to Lizzie.

"You stupid bitch," she sneered. "I told you I'd get you back for putting me in suspension. Maybe now your mom will finally get the truth through her thick head when everyone tells her that you're a slut."

"Miranda, why are you doing this to me?" Lizzie asked tearfully. "You know me. You know I'm not a slut, and for your information I've never even had sex. I'm sorry that I went into the airport bathroom with Gordo. It was a huge mistake. But all we did was kiss!" Lizzie was sobbing hysterically. The flight attendant turned around, and for a second, Lizzie thought she saw a flash of sympathy in her eyes. The McGuires and Gordons, the last people off of the plane, came down the terminal, looking at Lizzie with concern. Lizzie's heart dropped as the flight attendant pulled Jo aside and spoke quietly to her. Jo looked very concerned. When the flight attendant ushered her over to Lizzie, Jo gave Lizzie a hug and shook her head.

"Honey, I didn't know you were so scared to fly," she said softly. The flight attendant winked at Lizzie and pointed to Lizzie's T-shirt, which read DELTA DELTA DELTA LEGACY.

"She just freaked out," the flight attendant explained to Jo. "She's been crying like this ever since we flew over El Paso." She put her hand gently on Lizzie's shoulder and Lizzie noticed her two rings. One was a single pearl in a platinum band. The other was a thick silver ring with three triangles engraved on the front. Delta Delta Delta. The flight attendant was a Tri-Delt, just like Jo. "I'll wait here with her while you go to baggage claim if you like," the flight attendant offered. Jo nodded.

"Thank you so much," she said. Despite Jo's hatred of checking baggage, they had been forced to when their suitcases wouldn't fit in the overhead compartments. As the McGuires and Gordons walked away, Lizzie looked up at the flight attendant.

"You didn't tell them," she said quietly. "Thank you!" The flight attendant smiled warmly.

"I'm Jessica," she said.

"I'm Lizzie. And this is my boyfriend, Gordo." Jessica smiled.

"I noticed your shirt. You're a legacy," she observed.

"Yep. My mom was a Tri-Delt," Lizzie said.

"I thought so," Jessica told her. "We all do crazy things when we're teenagers," she said, laughing. "Lord knows I did. I don't necessarily think your parents need to know about this. I heard what that girl said to you, and it's obvious she wasn't reporting this as a safety concern." Lizzie laughed. "But from now on, remember, only one person at a time in the bathroom!" Jessica added, smiling. Lizzie nodded and looked up to see her family coming back for her.

"Thank you again for staying with her," Jo told Jessica, slipping her a crisp $50 bill.

"It was no problem," Jessica said. She looked at the money. "Oh, I can't accept this. I was just doing a favor for a sister!" She showed Jo her rings. "USC, PC 2000," Jessica said. "Lizzie's lucky she had such a good friend with her to take care of her." She gestured to Gordo, who grinned sheepishly. "Well, I better get back on the plane. We're taking off in a few minutes." She handed the money back to Jo.

"Keep it! I insist," Jo said, pressing it back into Jessica's hand. Jessica smiled gratefully.

"Gracias," she said. "Have fun in Mexico, and remember to behave yourselves!" She winked at Lizzie and Gordo and disappeared into the crowd of people boarding the plane.


	23. Chapter 22

**Sorry, it's been awhile since an update! I will try to update more frequently.**

"This is awesome!" Lizzie breathed as she pulled aside the thick gold curtains in The McGuires' room to reveal a perfect ocean view. She kicked off her gold sequined sandals. The terracotta tile floor felt cool underneath her feet.

"I told you we'd do a good job with the hotel," Sam said proudly. Jo grinned at Lizzie, who was now sprawled out across one of the king sized beds, smiling dreamily.

"Don't get too comfortable," she said. "This isn't your room." A look of confusion registered on Lizzie's face.

"But I thought that Matt was getting his own room. Since Gordo and I are teenagers who think we're in love and can't be trusted to have our own rooms or something," Lizzie quoted the speech that Jo had given her earlier that week. Jo shook her head.

"We've decided that you're mature enough to handle it," Jo said. "Matt's staying here with us, and you'll be in room 4C." Matt threw his towel down indignantly.

"What!" he shrieked. "I'm 16 years old. I don't need to stay in a room with my parents!" He was clearly insulted.

"Would you rather be at home with a babysitter?" Sam asked sternly. "This trip is pretty expensive, and you better show some goddamn appreciation." His eyes were flashing with anger behind his glasses. Jo put a hand gently on Sam's shoulder.

"Calm down," she said. "It's been a stressful day for everyone."

"This is such bullshit," Matt muttered under his breath as he swung open the door to the room.

"Hold it!" Jo said. "Before you go anywhere, there are some rules." She picked up a notebook and started to read from the list she had made on the plane. "Okay. Number 1. You are not to leave this resort without one of us. There are shops across the street, but if you want to go look around, come get an adult and we'll be happy to take you. Everything you need should be here. It's all inclusive, so your meals and drinks are paid for. We have a private pool and beach, as well." Lizzie smiled. This was a dream come true. "Number 2," Jo read. "Don't overdo it on the alcohol. I'd prefer if you each kept it to one drink per day." Matt tried to hide his laughter. "Number 3. Be very careful about the water. If you can, drink bottled water only, and as ridiculous as it sounds, try not to put ice in your soft drinks." Lizzie frowned. Okay, one drawback. There was a knock at the door.

"That must be the Gordons for dinner!" Sam said. "We're in for a treat tonight. We're having dinner at La Changas Mexican-Chinese café in the resort!" Lizzie and Matt exchanged worried glances. Mexican-Chinese café? Lizzie shrugged her shoulders.

"It might be good," she said to Matt. "Have a positive attitude!" Sam opened the door and Howard, Roberta, and Gordo walked in.

"Hola!" Sam greeted them. " Como estan!" His Mexican accent was pathetic.

"Tenemos hambre!" Howard replied. He and Sam had been reading Spanish for Dummies on the plane.

"It means 'we're hungry," Roberta explained to Jo. Gordo rolled his eyes, embarrassed. As the two families walked down the corridor and through an atrium to the café, Lizzie watched the way that Gordo's curls bounced gently with every step. _God, he's sexy,_ she thought, imagining him in a bathing suit. Or… without one. It was a nude beach…. She smiled as she pictured him slowly stripping down to his swim trunks, and then taking them off, swinging them around his head and over his shoulder and then strutting across the sand, laughing and smiling at her. _"I want you, Lizzie,"he would say. _No, not sexy enough. Lizzie searched her brain for a good line. She settled on one from one of her favorite movies, The Family Man. _"You're a bad girl baby. You make me so hot," Gordo would whisper mischievously._

"McGuire? Are you okay?" Lizzie looked up at Gordo, startled. He was fully clothed and definitely not on the beach. She felt her face flush and looked around. They had reached the café. She sat down quickly.

"I'm fine," she stammered. "I just—I was thinking about the vacation. How hot it's going to be—Cool! I mean how cool it's going to be." Gordo was looking at her strangely. "It's going to be fun," she said. "I think I need some water or something." She looked around desperately. Matt gave her a strange look as the waiter placed a menu in front of her.

"So, kids!" Jo said. "We have some very fun activities planned for tomorrow!" Roberta clapped her hands together in excitement.

"We're going parasailing!" she exclaimed. "And after that, we're going into downtown Cancun for a dinner cruise!" Lizzie smiled.

"Sounds fun!" she said. She couldn't wait. She looked over at Gordo who was drinking a glass of ice water.

"Gordo… you know about the water here, right?" she warned. Gordo grinned.

"Relax McGuire. I'm not worried about it. Millions of people come here on vacation. And everyone else is drinking water. I really think it's all just a myth or something to scare tourists." Lizzie smirked and leaned over to him.

"Well, let's see if you still believe that tonight when you're pissingg out of your asshole," she whispered. Gordo made a disgusted face. Jo looked at Lizzie with a startled look on her face.

"Elizabeth! Did I just hear what I think I did?" Lizzie grinned.

"Relax, mom. It's vacation."


	24. Chapter 23

Lizzie brushed some blush onto her cheeks and winked at herself in the mirror. She had on her new Victoria's Secret swimsuit. It was a teal color two piece, with pearlized sequins detailing the demi style cups. It was more revealing than what Jo usually liked Lizzie to wear, but she'd paid for it herself with babysitting money and she couldn't wait for Gordo to see it. She looked at her ass in the mirror. The brazilian cut bottom didn't offer full coverage, and she could see some cellulite. She frowned, but didn't let it worry her. _ Everyone has it,_ she reminded herself.

"Lizzie? Are you ready?" Jo poked her head through the door. Jo was wearing a one piece swimsuit with a revealing back and a large straw hat with oversized sunglasses. Lizzie had to admit that Jo was stylish for a mom.

"I'm ready!" Lizzie said. She caught one last glimpse of herself in the mirror before grabbing her towel and rushing out of the door. _I can't wait for Gordo to see me in this!_ She thought, unable to hide the grin spreading across her face.

"Gordo! We have to go! We're going to be late!" Roberta knocked sharply on Gordo's door. Gordo felt a rush of panic.

"Just a minute!" he called from inside the bathroom.

"What's wrong?" Roberta asked, concerned. "You've been in there since 8 this morning when I came to get you for breakfast. Are you sick?" Gordo looked at his watch. It was 9:15 am. He couldn't believe he had been sitting on the toilet for over an hour. _Lizzie was right about the water,_ he thought miserably.

"I'm just…" he paused, remembering the phrase Lizzie had used last night at dinner- _pissing out of my asshole,_ he wanted to say. "I think I ate some bad food or something," he said, sweating as he felt himself getting chills. Roberta frowned in disapproval.

"I told you not to drink the water, David. I have to leave right now or we'll miss the boat." Gordo raked his hand through his hair.

"But, I'll miss parasailing," he called.

"Honey, don't worry about it. I'll just explain everything to the McGuires. I'm sure they'll understand." she said.

"Mom- No!" Gordo heard the door shut and he cringed in embarrassment at the thought of Roberta "explaining" his situation to the McGuires. Sure enough, he heard Roberta's loud voice through the door.

"Not feeling well…" she was saying. "…. Severe diarrhea! He's been on the toilet for over an hour!"

"Good Lord! That poor thing!" he heard Jo exclaim. Gordo's eyes widened.

"Fuck!" he shouted, hitting the tile wall of the bathroom. This was possibly the most embarrassing day of his life.

Lizzie looked out at the water and frowned. This would be so much better if Gordo had been able to come. She was pissed that Jo had waited until AFTER they'd boarded the boat to tell her that Gordo wasn't feeling well and was staying at the resort. Lizzie smirked to herself as she remembered her warning him not to drink the water.

"What's wrong with your boyfriend?" Matt asked, rubbing tanning oil into his skin.

"Montezuma's Revenge," Lizzie said. "Look it up." Sam walked up to Lizzie holding a harness.

"You get to go first, Liz!' he exclaimed. Lizzie smiled and let the instructor help her into the harness. She waited in the water for the boat to take off. She could feel it pulling her, and creating a really uncomfortable tugging sensation on her swimsuit bottoms. She bit her lip nervously. Soon she was lifted into the sky.

"Wooooo!" she cheered, kicking her feet in pleasure. She watched in horror as her swimsuit bottom fell off of her foot and into the water. It had been pulled off by the speed while it was trying to lift her! "Holy shit!" Lizzie screamed, flailing her arms and legs frantically in an attempt to cover up. She saw Jo gasp and cover Matt's eyes. Tourists were laughing and pointing at her. Lizzie started to cry. She was helpless. The harness made it almost impossible for her to cover herself. The driver quickly lowered Lizzie back into the water but it was too late. She had been exposed to everyone on the beach. Jo helped Lizzie out of the harness as Roberta threw a pair of cotton cheerleading shorts into the water. Lizzie gratefully put them on. She climbed back onto the boat, sobbing.

"Can I please go back to the hotel?" she asked. Jo nodded. "We'll drop you off if that's what you want. But we won't be back until the morning. We're going on that overnight dinner cruise. I don't know if it's safe for you to be alone." Roberta put an arm around Lizzie.

"Gordo's there," she reminded Jo. "Hopefully he's feeling better by now. They can watch out for each other."

"Okay," Jo agreed. As the boat pulled into the dock near their resort, Lizzie almost felt enough excitement at the idea of spending the night—alone – with Gordo to hide the mortification. Almost.


	25. Chapter 24

**pinky- I will be using your great ideas in the upcoming chapter and the one after it!**

Lizzie's cheeks burned as she walked through the halls of the hotel and to her room. She had no idea who had seen her, but every time that another guest smiled at her or looked her way, her humiliation intensified. When she finally got to her room, she peeled off her soaking wet cotton shorts and threw them across the bathroom. "Dammit!" Lizzie yelled in an emotional outburst of frustration. She watched as her shorts clung to the tile wall and slowly started to slide down. She tore off her swimsuit top and threw it into the garbage can, as tears started to flow down her cheeks again. $130 down the drain. The bottom of that swimsuit was probably being eaten by sharks at that very moment. Lizzie turned on the shower and closed her eyes as she stepped in. The sound of the water hitting the tile and the feeling of the hot water pouring over her was just what she needed. As she breathed in the scent of her coconut lime body wash, she allowed her lips to curl up into a smile. Showers had always relaxed her. _Be positive,_ she thought. _You're in Mexico, at a 5 star resort, with your family and your boyfriend. _As she remembered Gordo, she felt a spark of happiness. After her shower she'd go check on him. They had all day together. Alone.

"_Ana," _the game show host said, "_Si tu puedes decir una cosa a Enrique, que serra?" _Gordo stared blankly at the beautiful Mexican woman on the tv screen. _"No tengo ropa interior,"_ she said seductively. The camera panned to a mariachi band, who started to play furiously while someone in an Easter Bunny mascot costume danced and cheered. _"Me gusta! Me gusta mucho!" _Enrique exclaimed, as the camera panned over two other "bachelorettes," who looked very angry. Suddenly the door to Gordo's room opened and Lizzie walked in, wearing a terrycloth robe.

"What's up?" she asked, sitting down next to him on the bed. Gordo shrugged.

"Nothing. Just watching a little bit of tv." He looked at his watch. "It's only 12:15. Did everyone come in early?" Lizzie's cheeks flushed.

"Um... not exactly," she muttered. "I warned you about the food. I talked to your mom this morning, and it wasn't pleasant." Gordo rolled his eyes. "So, are you still having 'severe diarrhea,' David?" she asked in a startlingly good impersonation of Roberta.

"It's not that big of a deal," Gordo said sheepishly. "So my stomach was a little upset from being exposed to unpurified, virtually untreated water. It happens to everyone." Lizzie looked over at him and grinned.

"Right, Gordo." She tousled his hair playfully.

"And, yes, I'm better." Gordo added. "So, now it's your turn. Why are you back?" Lizzie looked down. She felt frumpy in that robe. If only she still had her sexy new bikini. Now Gordo would never see it.

"Okay, I'll tell you. But you have to promise not to laugh at me." She looked at him pleadingly as he agreed.

"Lizzie. Whatever it was, it can't be that bad," he said.

"Trust me. It was," Lizzie started to tell him the story, tears stinging her eyes at the memory of the intense shame that she felt. "And all of a sudden, I looked down, and I was just flying through the sky, like, totally naked and EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON THIS FUCKING BEACH WAS LAUGHING AT ME!" she shrieked, her voice getting louder. She took a deep breath, determined not to cry about it again. Gordo was looking at her, stunned. His mouth hung open and his eyes were wide.

"Jesus Christ, McGuire," he choked out, unable to think of any other words. Lizzie dove underneath the covers and hid.

"Don't look at me, I'm too embarrassed!" she said. After a few minutes, she poked her head out and a sly smile spread across her face. "Gordo? Do you realize that we're here, totally unchaperoned, all night?" Gordo nodded.

"I know. But if we get ourselves into trouble, we'll never be unchaperoned again until we leave for college."

"Come onnn," Lizzie begged. "We're seniors in high school. We're on vacation. We both got totally humiliated today—"

"Objection," Gordo interrupted. Lizzie raised her eyebrows.

"We deserve some fun," she said. "Why don't we just go to the bar, have a couple of drinks, and then we can, like, rent one of those rafts or something and go to the island." Gordo looked out of his window at the island in the middle of the crystal clear water. It was about a mile offshore, and tourists rented kayaks and paddled out to it during the day. It did look like fun.

"Fine. But we have to be back by the time our parents are back."

"Tomorrow morning," Lizzie added.

"No. Tonight. Just in case," Gordo said. Lizzie was clearly dejected.

"Okay," she said reluctantly. "We'll be back tonight."


	26. Chapter 25

Lizzie squeezed Gordo's hand and squealed with delight. "Oh my God! We have to rent a boat!" She wistfully looked over at the kayak stand in front of her. Gordo groaned.

"Are you sure that's what you want to do?" His eyes darted nervously towards the dark clouds that loomed above them. "It looks like the weather might get pretty bad." The clouds had been there all day, and as much as he hoped they would disappear, the situation didn't seem to be improving. Lizzie poked out her bottom lip and looked up at him with sad puppy dog eyes.

"Pleeeease?" Gordo hesitated. "Don't be scared, Gordo. Nothing will happen to us! We're on vacation and we have to have fun!" Lizzie pointed over to the bar in the pool. "We can go have a few drinks to loosen you up, and then we'll rent a boat, just paddle out to the island, and come back." She brushed her lips seductively against his. "It'll be romantic," she said in a sexy voice. Laughing, Gordo nodded his head.

"Okay," he agreed. "You win again, McGuire." Lizzie smiled satisfactorily and trotted off towards the bar. She slid into one of the stools and smiled at the bartender.

"2 sex on the beach shots," she said. "Actually, make mine a double." The bartender prepared their drinks and set the shot glasses in front of them.

"Sex on the beach?" Gordo asked. He wondered if the drinks had any special significance…

"Gordo! Take it!" Lizzie was watching him eagerly. Gordo tossed back the shot and grinned.

"Excelente!" he exclaimed, as Lizzie ordered herself a double tequila sunrise shot. "We should probably get going if you want to rent a kayak," Gordo remarked. He didn't think Lizzie really needed any more alcohol.

"Yay! This is going to be so fun!" Lizzie jumped up, stumbling. "Vamonos!" she exclaimed. Gordo put some money on the bar as a tip and followed Lizzie to the kayak stand. The clouds were getting closer and darker, and rain had started to fall.

"Lizzie, I really don't know if this is a good idea," he said. He saw the disappointment in Lizzie's face.

"We'll be fine! They wouldn't let us go out if it wasn't going to be safe," she said drunkenly. "Right….. Consuelo?" She laughed as she read the booth employee's name tag.

"Si," he agreed. Lizzie grinned triumphantly as she filled out the paperwork. She and Gordo dragged their kayak to the water and got in. As they paddled out into the ocean, the crystal clear water allowed them to see sting rays and shells on the surface beneath them. Rain drops danced along the surface, creating patterns that Lizzie watched with amusement.

"God, this is beautiful," Lizzie murmured as they approached the island. Gordo looked up, startled, as a loud clap of thunder boomed through the sky. Their boat shook from the vibration.

"Holy shit. We really need to go back," he said. He started to turn the boat around as thunder continued to roll through the sky, which was now a deep, dark gray color. A flash of lightning temporarily blinded him, and he wiped rain from his face, shielding his eyes with one hand and steering with the other. The water was getting very choppy, with large, violent waves crashing against the side of their boat. He looked towards the shore. It was at least half a mile away. There was no way they could make it.

"I'm going to dock on the island," he shouted to Lizzie, who looked frightened. Suddenly, their boat was overturned by a wave. Gordo cried out as he was flung from the kayak and into the water. When he came to the surface again, he looked for Lizzie. Where was she! Suddenly he saw the overturned kayak, with Lizzie underneath it. Gordo felt a surge of terror as he swam towards her, struggling against the current. Lizzie appeared to be struggling with something. As he got closer, he saw that her leg had become entangled in the rope used to dock the boats. Gordo grabbed her and started to furiously work with the rope. He felt Lizzie go unconscious.

"Fuck!" Gordo yelled. He took a deep breath and plunged his head underwater, using his teeth in an attempt to gnaw through it. He knew that every second was crucial. Coming up for air, he yelled in pain as his head slammed into the rim of the boad. He spit out a mouthful of water, took a deep breath, and then went back under. When he finally freed Lizzie, he lifted her to the surface and stared at her limp body. Gordo used all of his strength to swim to the shore of the island, where he flung Lizzie onto the sand. He pressed two fingers gently to her neck. She had a pulse. Gordo lowered his cheek to her face. Lizzie definitely wasn't breathing. Remembering his CPR skills from Lifeguard training, he kneeled over her and began to breathe for her. "Breathe, dammit!" he cried in frustration. Thoughts raced through his head. _I never should have agreed to this…. I was the sober one… if Lizzie dies it will be my fault._ Gordo started to sob as he stared helplessly at Lizzie's lifeless body. Running his hands through his hair in frustration, he was shocked to find blood on his palms. Only then did he realize that he had a wound on the back of his head. He had forgotten about slamming his head into the boat just minutes earlier. The pain started to worsen. _Get control of yourself,_ he pleaded with himself. _You're just psyching yourself out. It can't be that bad. Lizzie needs you right now. _He started to breathe for Lizzie again, but was gripped by a blinding pain. He started to feel nauseous and dizzy. He thought he saw Lizzie stir on the sand. Had the CPR worked? Suddenly, everything went black as Gordo passed out.


	27. Note from Author and Questions Answered!

Hi, everyone! Sorry that I can't do updates as frequently as I would like to. I've been really busy with school! Anyway to answer a few questions:

I am hoping to have some "R-rated" Lizzie/Gordo action in upcoming chapters, or possibly another story. If there is interest, I might do a story that follows Lizzie and Gordo to college so if that's something you'd like to read, let me know!

The next chapter will be about Lizzie and Gordo stuck on the island! It should be pretty exciting and will have some great moments for all of the LG fans, and I would like to say thank you to Pinky5004 for contributing the idea!


	28. Chapter 26

Lizzie woke up unable to breathe. Terrified, she rolled over, choking and gagging. Tears streamed down her face as vile, salty water spilled from her mouth. Hard rain drops stung her cheeks, pelting her repeatedly. Squinting her eyes, she winced as her wet hair hit her bare back. It was a feeling that she'd always hated. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, noticing that the salt and sand had made it coarse. She felt a surge of fear as she saw Gordo collapsed in an heap on the beach in front of her.

"Oh, my God, Gordo!" she called out, dropping to her knees and cradling his head in her arms. "Please get up!" She pulled desperately at his curly hair, trying to wake him up, but was horrified to discover faint traces of blood on her hands. Lizzie began to panic. "Get up!" she screamed. Lightning flashed all around her, and Lizzie watched in terror as it struck a tree on a nearby island, setting it on fire. "Oh, my God," she whimpered tearfully. She frantically looked around for a place to hide, and was pleased to discover what looked like a cave. It wasn't very deep, but she decided it was better than being out in the open. She dragged Gordo into the cave with her. The roof was only about 5 feet high, and the cave extended back for about 10 feet. Lizzie laid Gordo flat on the floor of the cave and checked his pulse and breaths. Realizing that he was alive and had just passed out, she felt relieved. She really wanted to stay awake to make sure he was okay, but she was so tired. She leaned back against one of the walls of the cave and fell asleep.

Gordo opened his eyes groggily.

"Lizzie?" he asked. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out the intense pain in his head. When he finally opened his eyes again, he noticed that he was in some sort of cave. The day's events started to come back to him. Renting the kayak… the storm… trying to rescue Lizzie.

"Gordo!" Lizzie crawled over to Gordo and threw her arms around him. "I was so scared," she told him as she showered his face with kisses. Gordo squeezed her tightly. He had been so scared that she was gone.

"I love you, McGuire," he said sincerely, trying to muster a smile.

"I love you, too," Lizzie replied. She looked at Gordo, grateful to be with him. Lizzie was taken aback as she saw what looked like tears in Gordo's eyes, and one trickling down his tanned cheek. "Are you crying?" she asked, giggling. Gordo instantly lifted a hand to his face and brushed the tears away.

"No!" he said defensively. "It's raining. These are raindrops." Lizzie grinned.

"Don't deny it!" she teased. "It's okay, don't be embarrassed."

"I'm not embarrassed!" Gordo protested. He rolled his eyes. "Okay," he admitted. "Maybe I was crying." Lizzie hugged him tightly and rested her head on his shoulder. Within minutes, she was asleep. Gordo lifted a hand to his head and started to gently massage his temples. The throbbing pain was getting worse. He unwittingly moaned in pain. The sounds of the waves, seagulls, the rain, thunder, and wind were suddenly all unbearably loud and intolerable. The throbbing in his head had worsened to a steady, searing pain, and he had never felt so sick. Everything looked blurry. He clumsily tried to make his way out of the cave. Lizzie woke up to find Gordo on all fours right outside the entrance to the cave, getting violently sick. She rushed over to him in a panic.

"What's going on? Are you okay?" she demanded. Gordo wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"What do you think?" he snapped. Lizzie drew back, obviously insulted. Gordo sensed her feelings and apologized. "I'm sorry. Okay, to answer your question, I'm throwing up and my head is still killing me. I hit it on the boat while I was trying to get you above water." Lizzie was biting her bottom lip like she always did when she got nervous. "This is not good." Gordo wasn't sure whether she was talking to him or to herself.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I think you have a concussion," she said. "We just learned about head injuries in Health." She gently brushed his hair aside to look at the wound on his head. It wasn't bleeding as much, but it looked like it had started to bruise. "Okay, according to Mrs. Baker's lecture, the most important thing that you can do right now is rest," she told him. "Don't move around, don't get too excited…" Gordo interrupted her.

"Don't worry, McGuire. I don't think getting too excited will be a problem. We're trapped on an island with absolutely nothing to do, remember?" He chuckled quietly. Lizzie mustered a smile. At least he was still making jokes.

"Okay. Just come in here and lie down next to me. For now this will be fine, but we're still going to need medical attention." She looked out at the resort, which she could barely see from the island. The palm trees lining the beach were swaying dangerously in the wind and the sky was a dark slate gray. She knew it would be hours before anyone else got on a boat and found them. Lizzie started to cry quietly.

"Shhh," Gordo said gently. "Everything's okay. Someone will find us." Lizzie shook her head.

"This is all my fault," she sobbed. "You didn't want to do this kayak thing and I made you. And look what happened." Gordo kissed her, making her shut up immediately. "Lizzie" he said. "I promise you, we'll be fine." Lizzie tried to allow herself to believe him. She watched as Gordo drifted off to sleep again. So much for her plan. Lizzie had originally wanted to come to the island with Gordo because she thought it would be romantic. She and Gordo had talked about experimenting sexually and she felt like she was ready for it. She knew she didn't want to have sex yet, but she wanted to try other things with Gordo. She remembered when Kate had taught Lizzie how to "please" Gordo using a hair brush the night before their trip to Mexico. Lizzie had wanted to be sure she was ready and that she knew what she was doing. The little island had seemed like the perfect place. But now that would have to wait. _"Maybe someone will find us tomorrow morning,"_ Lizzie hoped. With the current circumstances, all she wanted was to get the fuck off of that island. She closed her eyes, leaning back against Gordo. She hadn't realized how tired she was. Lizzie wrapped her arm around Gordo as a thunder bolt shook the cave. Gordo sleepily put his arm around her as she drifted off to sleep.


	29. Chapter 27

Lizzie woke up to the soft call of seagulls and waves lapping gently on the shore. She sat up, squirming uncomfortably as her soaking wet clothes stuck to her. Yawning, she realized that she was still exhausted. No one was out on the water. Lizzie shivered as her arm brushed against the cold, wet, tank top and shorts that she had worn over her bathing suit.

"I can't believe I never took these off last night," she thought. She knew she had been so busy taking care of Gordo that she hadn't had time to worry about her clothes. Looking around, Lizzie slipped the tank top and shorts off. She laid them out on a rock to dry.

"Good morning, beautiful," Gordo said, smiling. Lizzie looked over at him. He was still lying against a rock in the cave. There were circles under his eyes, but he looked as sexy as ever to Lizzie.

"Good morning, babe! How are you feeling?" she asked.

"A little better," Gordo said. "I think I'm just going to stay in here and rest, though." Lizzie nodded. She exited the cave, stretched her arms above her head, and admired the warm sun beating down on her. How was it possible for it to be storming last night and beautiful today? She walked around to the other side of the cave. A large, pale gray slab of rock sat upon the white sand. The sun was hitting it at just the right angle, causing it to sparkle. Lizzie bit her lip and grinned. She was reminded of a weekend the summer before school started at Kate's beach house. Lizzie and Kate had snuck outside one afternoon while Kate's parents were away, stripped down completely naked, and gotten the best tans of their lives. Kate claimed that she tanned that way as much as possible, because she thought that tanning beds were filthy and bathing suits left ugly lines. Always more modest than Kate, Lizzie had been mortified at the idea of tanning completely naked. She'd done it, because she didn't want Kate to think she was immature, but Kate still teased her relentlessly about it. But she couldn't deny that it was an amazing tan. And right now, on the beach with no one around, that rock was calling to her. She felt guilty for wanting to tan while Gordo was back in the cave with a concussion, but she knew that there was nothing they could do to make help arrive any faster. They were stuck on this island and they might as well enjoy it. Lizzie slyly unhooked her swimsuit top and carefully placed it on another nearby rock. She stepped out of the bottoms and positioned herself on the large rock, basking in the glow of the sun. Turning her face to the side, Lizzie smiled rebelliously. She couldn't believe that she was laying out on a rock, totally naked, on a beach in Mexico. And she couldn't wait to brag about it to Kate. Lizzie imagined herself walking back into school, tanned, beautiful, and blonder.

_"Lizzie, holy shit! You look gorgeous! What did you do?" Kate would say in disbelief. Lizzie would flip her hair casually. _

_"Oh, I don't know. Just some… tanning, if you know what I mean," she'd whisper. "And I saved Gordo's life. I'll probably be the youngest person ever accepted into Stanford Medical School,"…._

Meanwhile, Gordo looked out over the ocean, still trying to ignore the dull pain in his head. He decided to go look for Lizzie. As he made his away around the side of the cave, he stared at what he had discovered in shock and awe. Lizzie was lying on a rock, sleeping, totally ass naked. Her silky skin was tanned to a deep bronze color, and he couldn't help but notice that she'd obviously gotten a Brazilian wax before the trip. Gordo's face flushed as he became extremely aroused. He wondered what he should do. Lizzie was a pretty private person, and he seriously doubted that she would have done this if she thought anyone would find her. She had clearly assumed that he'd be resting in the cave, and seeing no one else around, taken the opportunity to have some privacy. Suddenly, Lizzie's eyes fluttered open. She saw Gordo looking at her.

"Uh.. sorry, I was just…" Gordo stammered, looking away. Lizzie narrowed her eyes seductively.

"Come here," she murmured. Gordo's heart started to race. This was incredible. Was he dreaming? He walked over to her and Lizzie gently took his face in her hands and began to kiss him. He kissed her passionately, unable to hide his arousal. Lizzie ran her hand over the front of his swim trunks, which were still wet and plastered to his body. She was very impressed with what she discovered. She pulled his swim trunks down and admired him. She was trying desperately to appear confident and cool, but she was so nervous that she was shaking. "Get on top of me," she instructed. Gordo didn't know what to do. He felt like he might be taking advantage of her. "Get on top," she repeated. Gordo did as he was told, careful to keep himself lifted above her. Lizzie looked at him and smiled. Suddenly she felt like she was ready to have sex. She'd always wanted to wait, but what place could be better than on a beautiful deserted island? Opportunities like this didn't come along too often. "Gordo?" she whispered. Gordo looked at her lovingly and smiled. "I'm ready," Lizzie whispered. Gordo was so overcome with emotion that he wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to have sex with Lizzie, but at the same time, he knew that she wanted to wait until marriage. He couldn't understand why she was changing her mind so quickly.

"Are you sure?" he asked. Lizzie nodded. "Lizzie," Gordo closed his eyes. The blaring sun was making his head hurt again and he still felt unbelievably nauseated. There were so many thoughts going through his head. Lizzie looked beautiful, and he'd never wanted her so badly. But he knew that he couldn't let a spur of the moment decision ruin Lizzie's dream of saving herself until marriage. He looked down at Lizzie and kissed her gently. "I'm sorry," he said. "I can't do this." He got up and put his swim trunks back on, grimacing as the grainy sand that they had collected scratched his naked body. Lizzie sat up, hurt and confused. She started to cry as she watched Gordo walk back to the cave. Had she done something wrong? Suddenly, her confidence was completely gone. She had never felt more ashamed or humiliated. She looked down at her naked body and sobbed in embarrassment, putting her wet bathing suit back on. Gordo sat in the cave for over an hour listening to Lizzie cry, and it hurt him to know he had done this to her, but he felt like he'd made the right decision. She might not understand now, but she would eventually. When Lizzie came back to the cave, he walked over to her and gently put a hand on her shoulder.

"Liz," he said. Lizzie let out an angry shriek and flung his hand off of her.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled. Gordo didn't know what to do. He had never seen Lizzie so upset.

"Lizzie, I couldn't do it. I'm sorry," he tried to explain. "I know that this is romantic, but—"Lizzie cut him off.

"Stop talking to me!" sobs racked her body as she turned away from him. "Can anyone hear me?" she yelled. "We need help." Gordo buried his head in his hands, determined not to let Lizzie see him crying again.

"Just listen to me," Gordo said. "It's going to be so much more special on your wedding night. You promised yourself that you'd wait, and even if you aren't going to respect that, I am." Lizzie looked astonished.

"It's just that I thought you'd be happy that I was finally ready," she said angrily. "And instead, you turned me down. Do you have any idea how fucking humiliated I was!" Gordo was about to anwer her when suddenly, a Coast Guard boat pulled up to the shore.

"Do you need assistance?" a tall man asked through a megaphone. Lizzie ran over to him and explained what had happened as Gordo hung back, feeling miserable. He watched as Lizzie climbed into the boat. The man gestured to him.

"Sir, you're going to have to get into the boat," he called. Gordo's eye caught Lizzie's and the pain that was reflected in her eyes devastated him. He stood up to walk towards the boat, feeling a sharp, shooting pain through his head again. _This isn't the time for my head to start causing problems again, _he thought with annoyance. He looked up for the boat, but his eyes were met only with blackness. Lizzie watched him with concern.

"I think he has a concussion," she told the Coast Guard, worried. "He needs help." The Coast Guard lifted his megaphone.

"Don't move. We're coming to assist you," he called to Gordo. Gordo felt embarrassed as the two men strapped him into the stretcher and put him on the boat.

"I can probably walk," he said. The medic, Tate, shook his head.

"I don't think so," he said. "You need to get to a hospital." He turned to Lizzie. "Do you have a number where your parents can be reached?" he asked. As Lizzie gave him the name and room number of the hotel, she frowned. They were going to be in so much trouble.


End file.
